Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service Press Release

Latest figures show house fires down

House fires in the county are down 18% according to the latest figures.

There were 272 house fires in Gloucestershire last year (2008-09) compared to 335 the previous year (2007-08) - a drop of over 18%.

Gloucestershire’s Acting Chief Fire Officer Chris Griffin said:”This is great news and testament to the excellent safety and fire prevention work carried out by the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

“This means 63 fewer families suffered the devastation and loss of a fire in their home this year.”

“However, of the fires we attended last year, 25 resulted in fire related injuries and this is not acceptable.”

“We are committed to preventing fires and educating the public about the danger of fire and will continue to strive to drive down incidents even further and reduce injuries.”

Reducing fires in the home isn’t just down to fire-fighters working on the front line.
They are also involved in prevention and education work in their local communities. To do this they work alongside community safety teams.

Station Manager Andy Gillingham is head of the adult services team, he said: “The community fire safety team works tirelessly along with partners such as the Gloucestershire Home Improvement Agency to reduce fires and injury in the home.
“A dedicated team of advisors work with vulnerable people to reduce the number of fire related incidents and these figures show it’s working.”

The community safety advisors visit people in their own homes to fit free smoke alarms and give tailored advice, usually following referrals from other agencies such as Community Steps, Age Concern or the Red Cross.

For further information on the prevention work carried out by Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, or for safety advice ring 01452 753333 and ask for the community safety team.

Alternatively, if you know someone who is elderly or vulnerable and doesn’t have a working smoke alarm ring free on 0800 180 41 40 to book a Home Fire safety check.

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CONTACT:
Issued by Lisa Bonnell, Gloucestershire County Council's Media Team
Tel: 01452 425226 Email: lisa.bonnell@gloucestershire.gov.uk

13 May 2009