National statistics

Fire and rescue incident statistics: England, year ending March 2023

Published 27 July 2023

Applies to England

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Frequency of release: Quarterly

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Home Office responsible statistician: Helene Clark

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Public enquiries: firestatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk

This release contains statistics about incidents attended by fire and rescue services (FRSs) in England for the year ending March 2023. The statistics are sourced from the Home Office’s online Incident Recording System (IRS) and include statistics on all incidents, fire-related fatalities, casualties from fires and response times to fires, with long-term comparisons.

Alongside this release, fatal fires by dwelling type and geographical area will be published in table FIRE0205 and fatal fires by location group and geographical area will be published in table FIRE0502 - this is the first time these numbers have been published. Fatal fires are covered in section 5 of this release.

Key results

FRSs attended 622,173 incidents in the year ending March 2023, a 7.8% increase compared with the previous year (577,147). Of these incidents, there were 178,737 fires which was a 17% increase compared with the previous year (152,639).

These increases are predominantly driven by increases in secondary fires (+26%) and outdoor primary fires (+45%) following the hot, dry summer in 2022.

There were 259 fire-related fatalities in the year ending March 2023 compared with 273 in the previous year.

1. Incident summary

Incidents that FRSs attend are categorised into 3 main types - fires attended, non-fire incidents and fire false alarms.

Key results

In the year ending March 2023:

  • 622,173 incidents were attended by FRSs, this was a 7.8% increase compared with the previous year (577,147), a 9.9% increase compared with 5 years ago (566,140) and a 19% increase compared with 10 years ago (521,324); Source: FIRE0102
  • of all incidents attended by FRSs, fires accounted for 29%, fire false alarms 39% and non-fire incidents 32%; Source: FIRE0102

Total incidents

The total number of incidents attended by FRSs in England peaked in the year to March 2004, at over 1 million incidents. For around a decade, there was a general decline in all 3 categories of incidents attended and by the year ending March 2015 there were fewer than half a million incidents. The number of incidents then rose to around 577,000 in the year to March 2019 (the largest total since the year to March 2012). This increase in total incidents was predominantly driven by increases in fire and non-fire incidents, which are discussed in sections 2 and 4 respectively. In the years ending March 2020 and 2021, the number of incidents decreased due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions. However, in both the years ending March 2022 and 2023, the number of incidents increased, with those in the most recent year the highest total since year ending March 2011. See figure 1.1 below for further detail.

Figure 1.1: Total incidents attended by incident type, England; the year ending March 2000 to the year ending March 2023 (x-axis labels show every fifth year)

Source: FIRE0102

Notes:

  1. Non-fire incidents include non-fire false alarms.

In the year ending March 2023, there was a 7.8% increase in all incidents compared with the previous year. All 3 main incident types increased compared with the previous year ending March and compared with 5 and 10 years previously.

Figure 1.2 below shows the change in the proportion of incidents by type over time. Typically, the proportion of non-fire incidents has been increasing, while the proportion of fires has been decreasing. In year ending March 2023, the trends were:

  • fire false alarms accounted for the majority of incidents at 39%, compared with 44%, 10 years ago -non-fire incidents accounted for 32%, compared with 26%, 10 years ago
  • fires accounted for 29%, compared with 30%, 10 years ago

Figure 1.2: Proportion of incidents attended by incident type, England; the year ending March 2000 to the year ending March 2023 (x-axis labels show every fifth year)

Source: FIRE0102

2. Fires attended

Fire incidents are broadly categorised as primary, secondary or chimney fires depending on the location, severity and risk levels of the fire, and on the scale of response needed from FRSs to contain them.

Primary fires are those that meet at least 1 of the following criteria - occurred in a (non-derelict) building, vehicle or outdoor structure or involved a fatality, casualty or rescue or were attended by 5 or more pumping appliances.

Secondary fires are generally small outdoor fires, not involving people or property.

Chimney fires are in (non-industrial) buildings where the flame was contained within the chimney structure.

Key results

In the year ending March 2023:

  • FRSs attended 178,737 fires, a 17% increase compared with the previous year (152,639) and a 16% increase compared with 10 years ago (154,463 in the year ending March 2013); Source: FIRE0102
  • there were 66,753 primary fires, a 5.1% increase compared with the previous year (63,501); Source: FIRE0102
  • FRSs attended 725 fires in purpose-built high-rise (10 or more storeys) flats or maisonettes, a 9.0% decrease compared with the previous year (797)
  • FRSs attended 26,822 primary dwelling fires, of which 2.7% were fires in purpose-built high-rise (10 or more storeys) flats or maisonettes; Source: FIRE0205

Total fires

The long-term picture shows that the total number of fires attended by FRSs decreased for around a decade - falling by around two-thirds from a peak of around 474,000 in the year ending March 2004 to around 154,000 in the year ending March 2013. Since then, the total number of fires has fluctuated year-on-year. During this period, the largest numbers of fires attended were in the years ending March 2019 (182,941) and March 2023 (178,737) which both saw exceptionally hot, dry summers. The smallest numbers of fires attended during this period were in the years ending March 2021 (151,097) and March 2022 (152,639) which were both impacted by COVID-19.

The total number of fires increased by 17%, from 152,639 in the year ending March 2022 to 178,737 in the year ending March 2023. The number of fires in the year ending March 2023 increased by 6.8% compared with 5 years ago (167,357) and increased by 16% compared with 10 years ago (154,463). See figure 2.1 below for detail.

The increase in the number of fires in the year ending March 2023 can be attributed to the hot, dry summer of 2022. There were 109,444 secondary fires in the year ending March 2023, of which 48,287 occurred in the 3 months July to September - the largest number of secondary fires in any quarter since April to June 2010 (49,635). Secondary fires accounted for 61% in the year ending March 2023, compared with 57% in the previous year. The increase in secondary fires is further discussed in Fire and rescue incident statistics: England, year ending September 2022, Total Outdoor Fires for Summer 2022.

Figure 2.1: Total fires attended by type of fire, England; the year ending March 2000 to the year ending March 2023 (x-axis labels show every fifth year)

Source: FIRE0102

Figure 2.1 shows the long-term trend in fire incidents from year ending March 2000 to year ending March 2023, with categories for primary dwelling fires, other primary fires and combined secondary and chimney fires. The peak for secondary plus chimney fires occurred in the year ending March 2004, which experienced an unusually hot and dry summer. The chart reflects that the total number of fires attended in a single year can often be affected by external factors, particularly the weather. Weather is more likely to affect outdoor primary and secondary fires, with this combination accounting for a large share of all fires each year (over half in almost every year since these figures became available in the year ending March 2000).

Primary fires

In the year ending March 2023, there were 66,753 primary fires. This was a 5.1% increase compared with the previous year (63,501), a 10% decrease compared with 5 years ago (74,273), and an 11% decrease compared with 10 years ago (74,714).

Primary fires accounted for 37% of total fires in the year ending March 2023, 42% in the previous year, 44% 5 years ago and 48% 10 years ago. Primary fires, those considered to be the most serious or with a threat to life or property, have decreased over time in both the number and proportion of all fires.

There are 4 types of primary fires - dwelling fires, other building fires, road vehicle fires and other outdoor fires.

In the year ending March 2023, there were 26,822 dwelling fires. This number has:

  • decreased by 1.3% compared with the previous year (27,171)
  • decreased by 13% compared with 5 years ago (30,821)
  • decreased by 19% compared with 10 years ago (33,300)

Dwelling fires accounted for 15% of total fires in the year ending March 2023, a decrease of 2.8 percentage points compared with the previous year.

Dwelling fires accounted for 40% of primary fires in the year ending March 2023, a decrease of 2.6 percentage points compared with the previous year.

In the year ending March 2023, there were 13,550 other building fires. This number has:

  • increased by 4.6% compared with the previous year (12,950)
  • decreased by 13% compared with 5 years ago (15,616)
  • decreased by 18% compared with 10 years ago (16,506)

Other building fires accounted for 7.6% of total fires in the year ending March 2023, a decrease of 0.9 percentage points compared with the previous year.

Other building fires accounted for 20% of primary fires in the year ending March 2023, virtually unchanged compared with the previous year.

In the year ending March 2023, there were 19,135 road vehicle fires. This number has:

  • increased by 4.1% compared with the previous year (18,382)
  • decreased by 15% compared with 5 years ago (22,457)
  • decreased by 5.8% compared with 10 years ago (20,321)

Road vehicle fires accounted for 29% of primary fires and 11% of total fires in the year ending March 2023, virtually unchanged compared with the previous year (29% and 12%).

In the year ending March 2023, there were 7,246 other outdoor fires. This number has:

  • increased by 45% compared with the previous year (4,998)
  • increased by 35% compared with 5 years ago (5,379)
  • increased by 58% compared with 10 years ago (4,587)

Other outdoor fires accounted for 11% of primary fires and 4.1% of total fires in the year ending March 2023, an increase of 3.0 percentage points and 0.8 percentage points respectively compared with the previous year (7.9% and 3.3%).

Of the 26,822 primary dwelling fires attended by FRSs, 73% were in houses, bungalows, converted flats and other properties (19,515), whilst 27% were in purpose-built flats or maisonettes (7,307). These proportions remain virtually unchanged since last year; Source: FIRE0205

FRSs attended 725 fires in purpose-built high-rise (10 or more storeys) flats or maisonettes, a 9.0% decrease compared with the previous year (797), an 11% decrease compared with 5 years ago (812) and a 16% decrease compared with 10 years ago (858).

There are 3 types of purpose-built flats or maisonettes - low rise, medium rise and high rise. In the year ending March 2023:

  • 17% of primary dwelling fires were in purpose-built low-rise (1 to 3 storeys) flats or maisonettes
  • 7.2% were in purpose-built medium-rise (4 to 9 storeys) flats or maisonettes
  • 2.7% were in purpose-built high-rise (10 or more storeys) flats or maisonettes

3. Fire false alarms

Fire false alarms are where an FRS attends a location believing there to be a fire incident but, on arrival, discovers that no such incident exists or existed. These are broadly categorised by motive into ‘due to apparatus’, ‘good intent’ and ‘malicious’.

Due to apparatus calls are where a fire alarm or fire-fighting equipment operates (including accidental initiation by persons) in error.

Good intent false alarm calls are made in good faith in the belief that the FRS really would be attending a fire.

Malicious false alarm calls are raised with the intention of getting the FRS to attend a non-existent incident.

Key result

In the year ending March 2023:

  • FRSs attended 244,341 fire false alarms, a 6.3% increase compared with the previous year (229,878), an 8.1% increase compared with 5 years ago (226,060) and a 5.4% increase compared with 10 years ago (231,772); Source: FIRE0104

Fire false alarms by type

The number of fire false alarms attended by FRSs in England was on a general downward trajectory, from a peak of around 393,900 in the year ending March 2002 to a low of around 214,400 in the year ending March 2016. Since then, the number of fire false alarms has been steadily increasing year-on-year - with the exception of the years ending March 2021 and March 2022 which were impacted by COVID-19. In the year ending March 2023, FRSs attended 244,341 fire false alarms - the largest year to March number since the year to March 2012.

The proportion of total incidents accounted for by fire false alarms has gradually decreased over the last 10 years. In the year ending March 2023, this proportion was 39% compared to 40% 5 years ago and 44% 10 years ago.

Figure 3.1: Total fire false alarms by type of false alarm, England; the year ending March 2000 to the year ending March 2023 (x-axis labels show every fifth year)

Source: FIRE0102

In the year ending March 2023 there were:

  • 167,568 fire false alarms due to apparatus: a 4.9% increase compared with the previous year (159,740), a 10% increase compared with 5 years previously (151,711) and a 5.6% increase compared with 10 years previously (158,661); Source: FIRE0104
  • 70,355 fire false alarms due to good intent: a 10% increase compared with the previous year (63,871), a 4.9% increase compared with 5 years previously (67,060) and a 9.4% increase compared with 10 years previously (64,311); Source: FIRE0104
  • 6,418 malicious fire false alarms: a 2.4% increase compared with the previous year (6,267), a 12% decrease compared with 5 years previously (7,289) and a 27% decrease compared with 10 years previously (8,800); Source: FIRE0104
  • fire false alarms due to apparatus accounted for 69% of all fire false alarms, fire false alarms due to good intent accounted for 29% and malicious fire false alarms accounted for 2.6% - these percentages are similar compared with the previous year

4. Non-fire incidents attended

FRSs attend many types of incident that are not fires or fire false alarms. These are known as non-fire incidents or special service incidents. Examples include flooding incidents, responding to road traffic collisions (RTCs), animal assistance and collaboration incidents such as effecting entry or exit and assisting other agencies (a complete list can be found in fire data table FIRE0902).

Key results

In the year ending March 2023:

  • FRSs attended 199,095 non-fire incidents, a 2.3% increase compared with the previous year (194,630), a 15% increase compared with 5 years ago (172,723) and a 47% increase compared with 10 years ago (135,089) Source: FIRE0901

Of these non-fire incidents:

  • FRSs attended 63,647 collaborating incidents[footnote 1], a 6.7% increase compared with the previous year (59,644) and a 62% increase compared with 5 years ago (39,249)
  • there were 31,150 RTCs, a 1.7% increase compared with the previous year (30,634) and a 3.7% increase compared with 5 years ago (30,052)
  • FRSs attended 16,891 medical incidents[footnote 2], a 7.4% decrease compared with the previous year (18,239) and a 49% decrease compared with 5 years ago (32,851)
  • there were 17,825 flooding incidents, a 12% increase compared with the previous year (15,959) and a 14% increase compared with 5 years ago (15,673)

All non-fire incidents attended

There was a general decline in the number of non-fire incidents attended between the year to March 2008 and the year to March 2015 (figure 4.1 below). This was followed by a large increase of almost two-fifths to the year to March 2017, coinciding with the introduction of Emergency Medical Responding (EMR) trials (see the further information section for further detail) and the duty to collaborate legislation. Following the end of the EMR trials in 2017, the total number of non-fire incidents gradually decreased to around 151,000 in the year ending March 2021. The reduction seen in the year ending March 2021 was also likely driven in part by COVID-19 restrictions. In the year ending March 2022, there was a substantial increase in the number of non-fire incidents to around 195,000 and then again in the year ending March 2023 to around 199,000 - the highest year ending March figure on record and the second highest 12-month figure behind the year ending December 2022 (201,727).

Figure 4.1: Total non-fire incidents attended by FRSs, England; the year ending March 2000 to the year ending March 2023 (x-axis labels show every fifth year)

Source: FIRE0901

In the year ending March 2023, non-fire incidents increased by 2.3% compared with the previous year, with increases for all categories except medical incidents (see table 4.1 below for further detail). The tail end of the third COVID-19 national lockdown extended into the comparator year and hence there may have been some impact on the figures in this year. See COVID-19 and the impact on the IRS for further info.

Collaborating incidents account for the largest proportion of non-fire incidents overall - this proportion increased to 32% in the year ending March 2023 compared with 23%, 5 years ago and 15%, 10 years ago. RTCs account for the next largest proportion of non-fire incidents at 16% in the year ending March 2023. However, this is lower than 5 years ago when RTCs accounted for 17% and 10 years ago at 21%. Flooding (9.0%) and medical incidents (8.0%) account for the next largest proportions of non-fire incidents in the year ending March 2023.

Table 4.1: The largest categories of non-fire incidents attended by FRSs in England; year ending March 2022 to year ending March 2023

Non-fire incident type Year ending March 2022 Year ending March 2023 % change
Total non-fire incidents 194,630 199,095 +2.3%
Collaborating incidents 59,644 63,647 +6.7%
Road traffic collisions 30,634 31,150 +1.7%
Medical incidents 18,239 16,891 -7.4%
Flooding incidents 15,959 17,825 +12%

Source: FIRE0901, FIRE0902

Collaborating incidents

The 6.7% increase in collaborating incidents, compared to the previous year, is a continuation of a recent trend of increases. Since 2015, the number of collaborating incidents has increased, trebling from around 21,100 in year ending March 2015 to around 63,700 in year ending March 2023. These increases have coincided with the introduction of the duty to collaborate legislation, see further information for greater explanation.

For the year ending March 2023, the 3 sub-categories of collaborating incidents each increased on the previous year, with:

  • assisting other agencies increasing by 7.5% to 27,438
  • effecting entry or exit increasing by 5.9% to 33,385
  • assisting at suicide attempts increasing by 9.3% to 2,824

Medical incidents

Medical incidents peaked in the year ending March 2017 (45,757) around the time of the EMR trials. Following removal of Fire Brigades Union (FBU) support for the EMR trials in September 2017, the number of medical incidents decreased to around 16,900 in year ending March 2023 - a level slightly higher than before the trials.

In the year ending March 2023, there were 16,891 medical incidents, a 7.4% decrease compared with the previous year (18,239), a 49% decrease compared with 5 years ago (32,851) but a 15% increase compared with 10 years ago (14,689).

Road Traffic Collisions (RTCs)

There was a 1.7% increase in RTCs, compared to the year ending March 2022.

Prior to the number of journeys being affected by COVID-19 restrictions, the series was relatively stable with between 27,000 and 34,000 in each year, since data became available in the year ending March 2010.

In the year ending March 2023, the number of RTCs has returned to around pre-pandemic levels (31,150).

Flooding

Since comparable IRS data became available in the year ending March 2010, the number of flooding incidents attended by FRSs has fluctuated year-on-year between around 11,800 and 18,000. Some of the year-on-year variability is a result of the link between flooding incidents and rainfall, though it should be recognised that not all flooding incidents attended are weather-related.

In the year ending March 2023, FRSs attended 17,825 flooding incidents, an increase of 12% compared with the previous year (15,959) and the largest year ending March number since the year ending March 2013.

5. Fire-related fatalities and casualties

Fire-related fatalities are those that would not have otherwise occurred had there not been a fire. For the purpose of publications, a fire-related fatality includes those that were recorded as ‘don’t know’.

Non-fatal casualties are those resulting from a fire, whether the injury was caused by the fire or not.

Fatal fires are those resulting in at least one fatality that would not have otherwise occurred had there not been a fire.

As the IRS is a continually updated database, the statistics published in this release may not match those held locally by FRSs, and revisions may occur in the future (see the revisions section for further detail). This may be particularly relevant for fire-related fatalities, where a coroner’s report could lead to revisions in the data some time after the incident. It should also be noted that the numbers of fire-related fatalities are prone to year-on-year fluctuations due to relatively low numbers.

Key results

In the year ending March 2023:

  • there were 259 fire-related fatalities (see figure 5.1) compared with 273 in the previous year (a decrease of 5.1%), with 338, 5 years ago and with 286, 10 years ago; Source: FIRE0502
  • there were 203 fire-related fatalities in dwelling fires, compared with 209 in the previous year (a decrease of 2.9%)
  • there were 246 fatal fires compared with 254 in the previous year (a decrease of 3.1%), with 246, 5 years ago and with 269, 10 years ago; Source: FIRE0502
  • there were 6,155 non-fatal casualties[footnote 3], a 2.5% decrease compared with 6,313 in the previous year - this includes 2,599 casualties requiring hospital treatment, virtually unchanged compared with the 2,586 in the previous year; Source: FIRE0502

The number of fire-related fatalities in England followed a general downward trend between the year ending March 1982, when comparable figures first became available, and the year ending March 2015. Since then, the number of fire-related fatalities have fluctuated year-on-year. There were notable increases in the year ending March 2016 (302)[footnote 4] and the year ending March 2018 (338) - which included 71 fatalities as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire[footnote 5]. There was also a notable increase in the year ending March 2022 (273) - this included 99 fatalities in the October to December 2021 quarter, which upon review appears to have been a random fluctuation[footnote 6]. It should also be noted that the numbers of fire-related fatalities are prone to year-on-year fluctuations due to relatively low numbers. See (figure 5.1) for further detail.

Figure 5.1: Total fire-related fatalities, England; the year ending March 1982 to the year ending March 2023 (x-axis labels show every fifth year)

Source: FIRE0502

Notes:

  1. Fire-related fatalities are those that would not have otherwise occurred had there not been a fire, those where the role of fire in the fatality was “not known” are included in “fire-related”.

A very small proportion of fires resulted in a fire-related fatality in the year ending March 2023: 246 out of the 66,753 primary fires (0.37%). This proportion compares with the previous year, when there were 254 fires with a fire-related fatality, out of the 63,501 primary fires (0.40%).

The 259 fire-related fatalities in the year ending March 2023 included 203 in dwelling fires (consistently the largest category). These fatalities occurred in 192 fatal dwelling fires.

There were 4 fire-related fatalities in purpose-built high-rise (10 or more storeys) flats or maisonettes in the year ending March 2023, in 4 fatal fires. FRSs attended 725 fires in these flats or maisonettes. This compares to 0 fire-related fatalities in the previous year and 0 fatal fires.

There were 105 fire-related fatalities in single occupancy houses in the year ending March 2023, compared to 116 in the previous year.

The full breakdown of fire-related fatalities and fatal fires by dwelling type and location type can be found in FIRE0205.

Non-fatal casualties

The number of non-fatal casualties in fires in England has been on a downward trend since the mid-1990s. More detailed data became available due to the introduction of the online IRS in 2009, and since then the “hospital slight” and “first aid” categories have shown the biggest decline.

Figure 5.2: Total non-fatal casualties in fires by injury severity, England; the year ending March 1982 to the year ending March 2023 (x-axis labels show every fifth year)

Source: FIRE0502

Notes:

  1. These figures are for all casualties in fires, whether the fire caused the casualty or not.

Overall, in the year ending March 2023, there were 6,155 non-fatal casualties, a 2.5% decrease compared with 6,313 in the previous year. This change was driven by changes in the 4 distinct injury severity categories. In year ending March 2023, there were:

  • 561 hospital severe injuries (9.1% of all non-fatal casualties), a 2.4% increase compared to the previous year
  • 2,038 hospital slight injuries (33% of all non-fatal casualties), virtually unchanged compared to the previous year
  • 1,720 instances of first aid given (28% of all non-fatal casualties), an 11% decrease compared to the previous year
  • 1,836 precautionary checks recommended (30% of all non-fatal casualties), a 2.6% increase compared to the previous year

It should be noted that casualties recorded as hospital severe have remained low but fluctuate from year-to-year (see figure 5.2).

6. Response times to fire incidents

Headline findings on response times have been included in Fire and Rescue Incident Statistics since the year ending March 2021 edition. Table FIRE1001 is published alongside this release and shows greater detail than this commentary, including breakdowns by the call components. Full commentary and further tables for the financial year 2020 to 2021 can be found in Detailed Analysis of Fire Response Times.

Key results

In the year ending March 2023:

  • the average total response time to primary fires[footnote 7] in England was 9 minutes and 13 seconds, the longest average response time seen since comparable statistics became available; Source: FIRE1001
  • there was an increase of 23 seconds in the average first appliance response time to primary fires since the previous year; Source: FIRE1001
  • all types of primary fires showed an increase in average response times compared with the previous year, the largest increase was in primary outdoor fires (an increase of 1 minute 12 seconds); Source: FIRE1001
  • the average total response time to secondary fires[footnote 8] in England saw an increase of 34 seconds, compared with the previous year, to 9 minutes and 47 seconds; Source: FIRE1001

Response times to fire incidents

Total response time is the minutes and seconds elapsed from the time of call to the arrival of the first vehicle to the incident.

The following incidents are not included in response time totals.

a. Road vehicle fires, where the road vehicle was abandoned.

b. Where the location of the fire was a derelict property.

c. Where an FRS learned of the fire when it was known to have already been extinguished (known as “late calls”).

d. Where the total response time for an incident was over an hour or less than 1 minute (to avoid erroneous data or exceptional incidents from skewing the averages)

e. Where the sequence of events (time of call - mobilisation - vehicle mobile - arrival at scene) in an incident is not recorded in a logical sequence, either through recording error (for example, a vehicle appears to have arrived before it left) or absence of data (null values).

Looking at the long-term trend, response times to fires have increased gradually between the year ending March 1995 (when these data were first collected) and the year ending March 2015. Response times levelled off between year ending March 2015 and year ending March 2020, with the exception of year ending March 2019 (which had more incidents in general due to the hot, dry summer). For the past 2 years, response times to primary and dwelling fires have increased year-on-year. In comparison, response times to secondary fires fell slightly in the year ending March 2022, before increasing in the year ending March 2023. The increase in the year ending March 2023 on the year ending March 2022 is likely due to the increased number of incidents attended during the hot, dry summer of 2022.

Figure 6.1: Average total response times (minutes) by type of fire, England; year ending March 2013 to year ending March 2023

Source: FIRE1001

All primary fires

The average response times to all main fire categories in the year ending March 2023 are the longest seen since comparable statistics became available.

The average response time to primary fires was 9 minutes and 13 seconds, in the year ending March 2023. This was:

  • an increase of 23 seconds compared with the previous year (8 minutes and 50 seconds)
  • an increase of 35 seconds compared with 5 years ago (8 minutes and 38 seconds)
  • an increase of 1 minute 9 seconds compared with 10 years ago (8 minutes and 4 seconds)

Dwelling fires

The average response time to dwelling fires was 8 minutes and 1 second, in the year ending March 2023. This was:

  • an increase of 9 seconds compared with the previous year (7 minutes and 52 seconds)
  • an increase of 13 seconds compared with 5 years ago (7 minutes and 48 seconds)
  • an increase of 36 seconds compared with 10 years ago (7 minutes and 25 seconds)

Within the dwelling fire category in the year ending March 2023:

  • the average response time to fires in purpose-built flats/maisonettes was 7 minutes and 13 seconds
  • the average response time to fires in houses and bungalows was 8 minutes and 31 seconds
  • the average response time to fires in other dwellings was 7 minutes and 56 seconds

The faster response time to fires in flats may reflect the fact that flats are generally located in urban areas, which tend to be in closer proximity to a fire station than in rural areas.

Other building fires

The average response time to other building fires was 8 minutes and 57 seconds, in the year ending March 2023. This was:

  • an increase of 8 seconds compared with the previous year (8 minutes and 49 seconds)
  • an increase of 30 seconds compared with 5 years ago (8 minutes and 27 seconds)
  • an increase of 1 minute 9 seconds compared with 10 years ago (7 minutes and 48 seconds)

Within the other building fire category in the year ending March 2023:

  • the average response time to fires in other residential buildings (such as student halls of residence, nursing or care homes and hotels) was 8 minutes and 22 seconds
  • the average response time to fires in non-residential buildings was 9 minutes and 1 second.

The slower response time to fires in non-residential buildings was likely due to FRSs prioritising fires with the greatest risk to life.

Road vehicle fires

The average response time to road vehicles was 10 minutes and 0 seconds, in the year ending March 2023. This was:

  • an increase of 12 seconds compared with the previous year (9 minutes and 48 seconds)
  • an increase of 25 seconds compared with 5 years ago (9 minutes and 35 seconds)
  • an increase of 51 seconds compared with 10 years ago (9 minutes and 9 seconds)

Primary outdoor fires

The average response time to primary outdoor fires was 12 minutes and 29 seconds, in the year ending March 2023. This was:

  • an increase of 1 minute 12 seconds compared with the previous year (11 minutes and 17 seconds)
  • an increase of 1 minute 43 seconds compared with 5 years ago (10 minutes and 46 seconds)
  • an increase of 2 minutes 52 seconds compared with 10 years ago (9 minutes and 37 seconds)

It should be noted that other outdoor fires are numerically the smallest of the main primary fire types, accounting for 11% in the year ending March 2023. The small number of primary outdoor fires mean that the response times are prone to fluctuation, so affecting year-on-year comparisons. These incidents increased by 45% from the previous year, reflecting the hot dry summer of 2022.

Secondary fires

The average response time to secondary fires was 9 minutes and 47 seconds, in the year ending March 2023. This was:

  • an increase of 34 seconds compared with the previous year (9 minutes and 13 seconds)
  • an increase of 37 seconds compared with 5 years ago (9 minutes and 10 seconds)
  • an increase of 1 minute 24 seconds compared with 10 years ago (8 minutes and 22 seconds)

The increase in response times might partly reflect an increase of 26% in the number of secondary fires on the previous year.

7. Summary of changes over time

Table 7.1: Number of incidents, comparing the year ending March 2023 with 1, 5 and 10 years previously

Incident type Year ending March 2023 Year ending March 2022 1-year change 2017/18 5-year change 2012/13 10-year change
All incidents 622,173 577,147 +7.8% 566,140 +9.9% 521,324 +19%
Fires 178,737 152,639 +17% 167,357 +6.8% 154,463 +16%
Primary fires 66,753 63,501 +5.1% 74,273 -10% 74,714 -11%
Dwelling fires 26,822 27,171 -1.3% 30,821 -13% 33,300 -19%
Accidental dwelling fires 24,083 24,481 -1.6% 27,593 -13% 29,673 -19%
Outdoor primary fires 7,246 4,998 +45% 5,379 +35% 4,587 +58%
Secondary fires 109,444 86,527 +26% 89,043 +23% 72,496 +51%
Fire false alarms 244,341 229,878 +6.3% 226,060 +8.1% 231,772 +5.4%
Non-fire incidents 199,095 194,630 +2.3% 172,723 +15% 135,089 +47%
Fatalities and non-fatal casualties Year ending March 2023 Year ending March 2022 1-year change 2017/18 5-year change 2012/13 10-year change
Fire-related fatalities 259 273 -5.1% 338 -23% 286 -9.4%
Fire-related fatalities in dwellings 203 209 -2.9% 263 -23% 211 -3.8%
Non-fatal casualties 6,155 6,313 -2.5% 7,303 -16% 8,429 -27%
Non-fatal casualties requiring hospital treatment 2,599 2,586 +0.5% 3,297 -21% 3,811 -32%
Non-fatal casualties in dwellings 4,522 4,768 -5.2% 5,459 -17% 6,740 -33%

Table 7.3: Average response times, comparing the year ending March 2023 with 1, 5 and 10 years previously

Fire type Year ending March 2023 Year ending March 2022 1-year change 2017/18 5-year change 2012/13 10-year change
Primary fires 9m 13s 8m 50s +23s 8m 38s +35s 8m 4s +1m 9s
Dwellings 8m 1s 7m 52s +9s 7m 48s +13s 7m 25s +36s
Other buildings 8m 57s 8m 49s +8s 8m 27s +30s 7m 48s +1m 9s
Road vehicles 10m 0s 9m 48s +12s 9m 35s +25s 9m 9s +51s
Other outdoors 12m 29s 11m 17s +1m 12s 10m 46s +1m 43s 9m 37s +2m 52s
Secondary fires 9m 47s 9m 13s +34s 9m 10s +37s 8m 22s +1m 25s

Source: Fire statistics data tables

8. Further information

This release contains statistics about incidents attended by fire and rescue services (FRSs) in England. The statistics are sourced from the Home Office’s online IRS. This system allows FRSs to complete an incident form for every incident attended, be it a fire, a false alarm or a non-fire incident (also known as a Special Service incident).

The National Joint Council (NJC) supported Emergency Medical Responding trials began in 2015 and involved some FRSs forming agreements with ambulance trusts to undertake health and care related work, in particular co-responding (defined as Special Service calls where formal co-responder agreements are in place). In the trial period between year ending March 2015 to the year ending March 2017, there was a large increase in medical incidents.

Fire and Rescue Incident Statistics and other Home Office statistical releases are available via the Statistics at Home Office pages on the GOV.UK website.

Data tables linked to this release and all other fire statistics releases can be found on the Home Office’s Fire statistics data tables page.

Guidance for using these statistics and other fire statistics outputs, including a Quality Report, is available on the fire statistics guidance page.

The information published in this release is kept under review, taking into account the needs of users and burdens on suppliers and producers, in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The Office for Statistics Regulation recently carried out a compliance check of the Home Office’s fire and rescue incident statistics against the Code of Practice and the results can be found in a letter to the Home Office’s Head of Profession published on the OSR website.

If you have any comments, suggestions or enquiries, please contact the team via email using firestatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk.

Revisions

The IRS is a continually updated database, with FRSs adding incidents daily. The figures in this release refer to records of incidents that occurred up to and including 23 May 2023. The statistics published may not match those held locally by FRSs and revisions may occur in the future. This is particularly the case for statistics with relatively small numbers, such as fire-related fatalities. For instance, this can occur because coroner’s reports may mean the initial view taken by the FRS will need to be revised; this can take many months, even years, to do so.

COVID-19 and the impact on the IRS

The figures presented in this release relate to incidents attended by FRSs during year ending March 2023. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions in England, Scotland and Wales started from 12 March 2020. In England 3 lockdowns which applied strict limits on daily life were imposed. A first lockdown was applied on 23 March 2020 and was eased from 15 June 2020, a second lockdown began on 5 November 2020 and ended on 2 December 2020 and the third began on 4 January 2021 and ended on 12 April 2021. The very tail end of the third lockdown is therefore captured in IRS data for the comparator year. This effect on the comparator year will remain in the statistics until the data for year ending June 2023 are released. It is worth noting that there may well have been some lingering effects of the COVID-19 restrictions due to a potential lag in the adjustment of the behaviour of individuals.

Extra analyses on fire and rescue incidents during this period can be found in the year to March 2021 edition of this release, detailed analysis of fires attended by fire and rescue services, England, April 2020 to March 2021 and detailed analysis of non-fire incidents: England, April 2020 to March 2021. Additionally extra analysis on Detailed analysis of response times to fires: England, April 2021 to March 2022 is available.

Home Office publish 5 other statistical releases covering fire and rescue services.

These include:

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities also publish statistical releases on fire.

The statistics include the English Housing Survey, which includes analysis of the existence of fire and fire safety features by household and dwelling type

Fire statistics are published by the other UK nations:

Scottish fire statistics and Welsh fire statistics are published based on the IRS. Fire statistics for Northern Ireland are published by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service using data from a system similar to the IRS, which means that they are not directly comparable to English, Welsh and Scottish data.

National Statistics

These statistics have been assessed by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure that they continue to meet the standards required to be designated as National Statistics. This statistical bulletin is produced to the highest professional standards and is free from political interference. It has been produced by statisticians working in accordance with the Home Office’s Statement of compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, which covers Home Office policy on revisions and other matters. The Chief Statistician, as Head of Profession, reports to the National Statistician with respect to all professional statistical matters and oversees all Home Office National Statistics products with respect to the Code, being responsible for their timing, content and methodology. This means that these statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, impartiality, quality and public value, and are fully compliant with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

  1. Collaborating incidents include “Assisting other agencies”, “Effecting entry or exit” and “Suicide or suicide attempts”. ↩

  2. Medical incidents include “First responder” and “Co-responder” incidents. ↩

  3. For more detailed technical definitions of fire-related and non-fatal casualties, see the Fire Statistics Definitions document. A further breakdown of the different types of non-fatal casualties is available in the published fire data tables. ↩

  4. For more information on the number of fire related fatalities in the year ending March 2016, see the Fire Statistics Monitor: April 2015 to March 2016. ↩

  5. For more information on the Grenfell Tower fire and how the associated fire-related fatalities figures are recorded, see the Fire Statistics Definitions document. ↩

  6. For more information on the number of fire related fatalities in the year ending March 2022, see Fire and rescue incident statistics: England, year ending March 2022. ↩

  7. Primary fires are those that meet at least 1 of the following criteria - occurred in a (non-derelict) building, vehicle or outdoor structure or involved a fatality, casualty or rescue or were attended by 5 or more pumping appliances. ↩

  8. Secondary fires are generally small outdoor fires, not involving people or property. ↩

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