Lancashire firefighters stopped most house blazes from spreading last year

The statistic was published in the brigade’s annual service report for 2022-23, which also reveals that eight people lost their lives in fires across the county in the 12 months to March this year.

During that period, Lancashire firefighters attended 772 “accidental dwelling fires” - only 13 percent of the total 5,632 fires to which an appliance was sent. Thirty-seven casualties arose from those domestic incidents.

The brigade was scrambled to 18,841 incidents overall - 621 of which were road traffic collisions, along with 94 searches for missing persons.

The average attendance time across all incidents was seven minutes and 48 seconds.

As part of its annual report, the service trumpets the benefits of introducing “dynamic cover software” to help it decide how to deploy resources.

“[The software] provides visual data on community risks and emergency cover in real-time to inform decision-making. This means we can position firefighters and fire engines with greater precision and has improved emergency cover and response times in communities during several periods of high demand,” the report states.

As the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed last December, the brigade also took the controversial decision during the year to shake-up the way it staffs some of its fire stations.

The changes are set to add an average of almost three minutes to evening and overnight response times from Penwortham and St. Annes fire stations, although the service stressed that its own “robust” standards for how quickly engines arrive at incidents would continue to be met after the overhaul.

The staffing review boosted the total number firefighters across the county by eight, but will see reductions in crewing levels at 13 stations – and significant increases at three others – according to the shift system they operate.

The annual report states that the changes “reflect the most effective and efficient use of resources for the whole of Lancashire”, adding: “All 39 fire stations and 58 fire appliances have been maintained and we are increasing the number of firefighters employed.”

Commenting on the report, Chief Fire Officer, Justin Johnston, said that it provided an opportunity to “reflect on some of our achievements that improve the services we provide to the people of Lancashire”.

“During the year, we were also proud to offer critical support to people outside of Lancashire, as we responded to international emergency events. We supplied two fire engines and equipment to Ukrainian firefighters and formed part of search and rescue teams following natural disasters in Turkey and Malawi.

“Behind all these achievements are dedicated people with the highest levels of skills and expertise. They have the essential qualities to respond positively to challenges, support others and make a difference in their communities.

“From saving lives on the frontline to supporting behind the scenes, we are united in our determination to make Lancashire safer.”

FIRE SAFETY CHECKS AND EDUCATION: IN NUMBERS

Home Fire Safety Checks delivered - 22,210

Fire safety inspections carried out - 2,268

Fire safety enforcement notices issued - 158

People took part in road safety education - 18,775

Children and young people received prevention education - 110,197

Businesses prohibited from operating following serious breaches of the Fire Safety Order - 15