23/09/03 - Cumbria's Firefighters drive down house fires

Home risk assessments being carried out by Cumbria's firefighters together with other community initiatives has resulted in a dramatic reduction in accidental dwelling fires and injuries to the public. 

Using Government statistics it is shown that over a five year period, 1998-2002, accidental dwelling fires have been reduced by 22% and resultant injuries to the public have fallen by 40% within Cumbria. 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Cumbria Fire Service, Bernard Dolan, states “the results are a tremendous success and I congratulate personnel on the way that they have gone about their work within the community.” 

He goes on to state that “Cumbria was one of the very first Fire Services to actively engage with communities and these reductions are showing the benefit of that work.” 

Cumbria's firefighters have been carrying out community activities and have been going into people's homes to fit smoke detectors for the last five years but what underpins this initiative is to educate the public on how not to have a fire in the first place. 

Mr Dolan also praises County Councillors who had the foresight to fund the smoke detector campaign and as a result Cumbria Fire Service is making a significant contribution to the Cumbria County Council strategic aim of improving the safety and quality of peoples lives. 

Whilst welcoming the reductions Mr Dolan also says that “there was still a great deal of work to do as Cumbria still has more accidental dwelling fires per head of population than other comparable areas of the Country.”   

He also states that “the new integrated risk approach to fire cover and driving down the risk within the community recently announced by the Government in the White Paper – ‘Our Fire and Rescue Service’ - will see an even greater move towards community fire safety in the near future.