Dorset | Posted on November 1st, 2024 | return to news
South West firefighters slowest to respond, research claims
Analysis of a Government report found that the average response time for South West fire crews was 10m 43s.
Analysis of the latest Home Office report into the response times of England’s firefighters found that crews in the South West are the slowest to respond.
The response time to a primary fire – defined by the Government as a ‘potentially more serious fire that causes harm to people or damage to property’ – for the South West in 2023–24 was 10 minutes, 43 seconds.
For comparison, Greater London had the quickest response time, clocking in at just 6 minutes and 47 seconds.
The East Midlands came second slowest at 10 minutes and 21 seconds, followed by the East of England at 10 minutes and 12 seconds.
Drilling down into the data and focusing on the five regions in the South West, Cornwall’s fire and rescue authority had the slowest response time of 12 minutes and 29 seconds. Dorset and Wiltshire came third with 10 minutes and 35 seconds.
Fire and Rescue Authority | 2023/24 Average Response Time to Primary Fires |
Cornwall | 12m 29s |
Devon and Somerset | 10m 29s |
Dorset and Wiltshire | 10m 35s |
Gloucestershire | 10m 37s |
Avon | 9m 27s |
The analysis was produced by specialist builders Mobile Annexe. Gary Clayden-Smith from Mobile Annexe warned that people need to be careful, especially if they are engaging in DIY. He said: “Keep all flammable materials away from heat sources, especially when using power tools. Be smart here, it sounds like common sense, but when you’re doing DIY, which might not be within your usual comfort zone, it’s very easy to forget the basics when you’re overwhelmed.
“Always have a fire extinguisher or a fire blanket nearby for emergencies. It’s easy to take all the precautions in the world, but accidents do still happen. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail, so always have something on hand to stop a fire, just in case you need it.”
The research comes just a month after news that Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) had begun removing the second fire engines from local stations including Sturminster Newton, Wareham, Corsham, and Marlborough, with Poole fire station next to lose an engine
When asked about the research, DWFRS told Dorset View that the authority targets a 10-minute response time and that its response time for the period was actually 9 minutes and 31 seconds – though it was not clear if this was response time to primary fires, or for all callouts.
DWFRS Chief Fire Officer Ben Ansell said: “We have a target of a 10-minute response time on average, for confirmed fires in sleeping risk premises. Our average response time in 2023–24 was 9 minutes 31 seconds. That is from the 999 call ringing in our Fire Control and includes call handling, turnout and travel time, until the first fire engine arrives on scene.
“As a predominantly rural service, travel times can be challenging, and our response can also be affected by the availability of our on-call firefighters, who make up the majority of our operational workforce.
“We continue to recruit for new on-call firefighters, and we would love to hear from anyone who is interested in supporting their local community in this way.”
For more information, visit www.dwfire.org.uk/on-call-firefighters.
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