Scottish Fire and Rescue Service reports incident rate drop in North Ayrshire
Crews lodged eighty nine fewer callouts between July and September; fires are down by more than half and deliberate blazes have also fallen sharply
A 13 per cent overall decrease in total incidents in North Ayrshire has been reported by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Monday’s North Ayrshire Police and Fire and Rescue committee heard the incidents were 13 per cent down overall between July 1 and September 30 this year.
This equates to 89 fewer incidents.
Fires decreased by 52 per cent (133 incidents) while false alarms increased by five per cent (19 incidents).
Non-fire related incidents increased by 23 per cent (25 incidents) and Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals rose by 28 per cent (36 incidents).
False alarms due to apparatus now makes up the largest category, accounting for 33 per cent of all incidents. It moves ahead of outdoor fires, which were the leading category in the last quarter at 29 per cent.
Accidental dwelling fires have fallen by 20 per cent (six incidents) compared to the same period last year, and by 14 per cent (four incidents) since last quarter.
Notably 33 per cent (eight incidents) were attributed to cooking-related activities, which is a 20 per cent reduction from the last quarter.
Following every domestic fire, the operational crews conduct post-incident follow-ups, offering tailored safety advice to residents.
During this quarter, the operational teams, in collaboration with the Community Action Team, completed 236 Home Fire Safety Visits and installed smoke detectors where necessary.
This quarter, two casualties were recorded as a result of accidental dwelling fires, one casualty had partial burns to their torso and one had slight burns to their legs. Both were treated at hospital.
Non-fire related casualties decreased by three (12 per cent) compared to last quarter, but increased by five (22 per cent) when compared to last year. Of the total casualties, 11 (48 per cent) were the result of Road Traffic collisions.
Incidents involving assisting other agencies decreased by one, now accounting for 52 per cent (12 casualties) of the total.
Tragically, six fatalities were recorded in this quarter. Five of those were whilst assisting other agencies and one was from a Road Traffic Collision, involving a car and an HGV.
Deliberate fire setting has reduced by 62 per cent (111 incidents) compared to the last quarter and by 58 per cent (82 incidents) compared to the same period last year.
Secondary fires accounted for the majority of these incidents, making up 81 per cent (48 incidents). These figures can be influenced by seasonal weather conditions.
The Fire and Rescue Service continue to work with their partners to identify emerging trends and implement targeted interventions aimed at reducing deliberate fire activity.
As part of a summer action plan crews engaged with schools and community groups.
This was aimed at raising awareness of deliberate fire setting and anti-social behaviour, promoting water safety and increasing road safety awareness and lithium-ion battery safety in their bid to help reduce these kinds of incidents within the community.
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