A shocking ½ million+ fire incidents occurred in 2016

Over this past year, over half a million fire incidents took place across the UK. Now, more than ever, we really need to raise awareness of fire safety and the prevalence of these sorts of incidents. Below are some of the key statistics from this year, that will no doubt come as a bit of a surprise.

The fire statistics for the period starting from April 2015 to March 2016 in UK shows an increase of 7% over 2014-15. 528,700 incidents were reported and attended by fire rescue personnel. Out of these, 31% were genuine fire emergencies, 40% false fire alarms and 29% non-fire related incidents. Primary fire incidents in houses and accommodation rose by 0.01%., vehicle fire accidents rose by 7%, outdoor fires rose by 10% and fires in other buildings rose by 3%.  Secondary fire incidents rose by 7% and chimney fires declined by 19%. All the data presented here is derived from www.gov.uk.

Casualties Due to Fire

• Fire related fatal casualties were reportedly 303 in 2015-16. This is said to be the highest since 2011-12. 246 of the casualties were from accidental fires. 57 of the casualties were reportedly due to intentional accidents.
• According to UK government statistics since 2004-2005, the fire accidents have in fact declined by 22% in the period of 2015-16.

Major reasons for these casualties were said to be preventable. This poses a serious question about the fire safety awareness among the present generation people in UK.

  Causes of Fire

• Residence fires in England were 31,333 and those in Wales were 1,777 for the period 2015-16. Since 2009 the method of data collection has been shifted to online systems. This makes the data more accurate and reliable. Reports from Scotland are presently unavailable as the survey and analysis process is said to be in progress. (Data as updated on 17^th August 2016). 229 casualties were reported due to residence fires, out of which 191 were due to accidental causes and 38 were due to deliberate.
• Non-residential fires accounted for 15,984 incidents, out of which 11,564 were said to be accidental and 4,420 were said to be deliberate. Casualties reported were 21, with 15 being accidental and 6 deliberate.
• Outdoor fires were 89,695 out of which 32,999 were accidental and 56,696 were deliberate. Total number of casualties was 28 out of which 25 were accidental and 4 were deliberate.
• Road vehicles fires were 20,829 out of which 11,407 were said to be accidental while 9,422 were said to be accidental. Casualties reported were 25 out of which 15 were accidental and 10 deliberate.

Primary Fires in UK are considered to be those from buildings, apartments and mobile homes, vehicles, agricultural property, straw and stubble, storage of materials etc. Secondary fires are those starting from electric circuits, transformers and others which do not fall under the primary category.

Outcome

Analysis and statistical data preparation is the first step towards enhancing safety standards and measures within the UK today.

• Schools and colleges should have fire safety awareness and fire prevention training for the students. This can also be taken up by media such TV and radio for telecasting regular programs and raising awareness.
• People should know what to do to prevent the escalation of fire in case of accidents. Firefighting training could also be one of the recommended remedies for taking preventive care, but basic knowledge can help stop fires from developing or spreading when they start.