National statistics

Fire and rescue incident statistics: England, year ending September 2022

Published 9 February 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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This release contains statistics about incidents attended by fire and rescue services (FRSs) in England for the year ending September 2022. 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.

Key results

FRSs attended 620,758 incidents in the year ending September 2022, a 16% increase compared with the previous year (537,423). Of these incidents, there were 185,437 fires which was a 28% increase compared with the previous year (145,313). These increases can be attributed to the 44% increase in secondary fires and 63% increase in outdoor primary fires following the hot, dry summer in 2022. Also contributing were large increases in the non-fire incident categories collaborating incidents and road traffic collisions, as well as the fire false alarm catergory due to apparatus.

There were 276 fire-related fatalities in the year ending September 2022 compared with 249 in the previous year. The 276 fire-related fatalities included 99 fire-related fatalities from the final 3 months of 2021. The quarterly figure for October to December 2021 appears to be an exception to the more recent quarterly data and trends. This is discussed further in Section 5.

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 September 2022:

  • 620,758 incidents were attended by FRSs. This was a 16% increase compared with the previous year (537,423), a 9% increase compared with 5 years ago (569,099) and a 12% increase compared with 10 years ago (552,086). This is the highest number of incidents for a decade, and is driven by an increase in secondary fires and outdoor primary fires. Also contributing were large increases in the non-fire incident categories collaborating incidents and road traffic collisions, as well as the fire false alarm catergory due to apparatus. Source: FIRE0102

  • of all incidents attended by FRSs, fires accounted for 30%, fire false alarms 38% and non-fire incidents 32%, compared with fires accounting for 32%, fire false alarms 44% and non-fire incidents 25% 10 years ago Source: FIRE0102

Total incidents

The total number of incidents attended by FRSs in England peaked in the year to March 2004, at over one 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) but has fluctuated since.

The increase in total incidents over the 4 years to March 2019 was driven by increases in fire and non-fire incidents. Furthermore, the increase in non-fire incidents over this time was mainly due to changes in the number of flooding incidents and collaboration incidents attended, which are discussed in Section 4.

In the year ending September 2022, there were around 621,000 incidents attended by FRSs. This was the largest total of incidents for a 12-month period in over a decade (623,107 in the year ending September 2011). There were 186,736 incidents for this quarter, the largest total of incidents for a quarter since comparable data became available.

Figure 1.1: Total incidents attended by incident type, England; comparing year ending September 2012 and year ending September 2022

Source: FIRE0102

Notes:

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

For the year ending September 2022, there was a 16% increase in all incidents compared to the previous year. The increase in incidents attended this year compared with the previous year was driven by increases in all 3 main incident types (fires, non-fire incidents and fire false alarms). The increase compared to the year ending September 2021 may partly reflect the easing of coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, which should be borne in mind when considering year-on-year comparisons. However, the increase in the year ending September 2022 was an increase on 5 and 10 years ago.

Figure 1.1 shows that of the 620,758 total incidents, fire false alarms made up the majority of incidents with 38% with non-fire incidents (32%) and fires (30%) making up the remainder of incidents. The percentage of incidents that were non-fire incidents was similar to the previous year and 5 years ago (32% and 31%), but higher than 10 years ago (25%). For fires, the proportion was the highest since year ending September 2018 (31%), caused by the hot summer of 2018, the same as 5 years ago (30%) and lower than 10 years ago (32%).

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 one 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 September 2022:

  • FRSs attended 185,437 fires, the largest total of fire incidents since the year ending September 2011 (225,564): a 28% increase compared with the previous year (145,313) and a 6% increase compared with 10 years ago (175,507 in the year ending September 2012) Source: FIRE0102

  • there were 67,389 primary fires, a 9% increase compared with the previous year (61,597) but a 15% decrease compared with 10 years ago (78,966 in the year ending September 2012) Source: FIRE0102

  • there were 115,673 secondary fires, a 44% increase compared with the previous year (80,516) and a 28% increase compared with 10 years ago (90,226 in the year ending September 2012). Secondary fires accounted for 62% of total fire incidents, a 7% increase compared with the previous year (55%). Source: FIRE0102

  • FRSs attended 734 fires in purpose-built high-rise (10+ storeys) flats or maisonettes, a 5% decrease compared with the previous year (773) and accounted for 3% of the 27,202 primary dwelling fires attended 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 financial year to March 2004 to around 154,000 in the year ending March 2013. The total has subsequently varied between around 150,000 and 183,000 between March 2013 and March 2022.

More recently, the number of fires in the year ending September 2022 increased by 8% compared with 5 years ago (171,026) and increased by 6% compared with 10 years ago (175,507). The total number of fires increased by 28% from 145,313 in the year ending September 2021 to 185,437 in the year ending September 2022 (Figure 2.1). This was the largest total of fire incidents for a decade (225,564 in the year ending September 2012).

This increase can be largely attributed to the greatest number of secondary fires in any quarter since April to June 2011 (48,206 in July to September 2022) linked to the hot, dry summer in 2022. Of the 185,437 fire incidents, secondary fires accounted for 63%, a 7% increase compared with the last year (55%). The increase in secondary fires is further discussed in Total Outdoor Fires for Summer 2022.

Figure 2.1: Total fires attended by type of fire, England; year ending September 2012 to year ending September 2022

Source: FIRE0102

Primary fires

In the year ending September 2022, there were 67,389 primary fires. This was a 9% increase compared with the previous year (61,597), an 11% decrease compared with 5 years ago (75,810), a 15% decrease compared with 10 years ago (78,966).

Primary fires made up 36% of total fires in the year ending September 2022, 42% in the previous year, 44% 5 years ago and 45% 10 years ago.

There are 4 types of primary fires - dwelling fires, other building fires, road vehicle fires and other outdoor fires. In the year ending September 2022 there were:

  • 27,202 dwelling fires, this has

    • increased by one per cent compared with the previous year (26,974)
    • decreased by 11% compared with 5 years ago (30,443)
    • decreased by 20% compared with 10 years ago (34,012)

Dwelling fires made up 40% of primary fires in the year ending September 2022, a 4% decrease compared with the previous year (44%) and 15% of total fires in the year ending September 2022, a 4% decrease compared with the previous year (19%).

  • 13,695 other building fires, this has

    • increased by 13% compared with the previous year (12,073)
    • decreased by 15% compared with 5 years ago (16,169)
    • decreased by 23% compared with 10 years ago (17,880)

Other buildings fires made up 20% of primary fires in the year ending September 2022, unchanged from the previous year and 7% of total fires in the year ending September 2022, a decrease of one per cent compared with the previous year (8%).

  • 18,914 road vehicle fires, this has

    • increased by 6% compared with the previous year (17,905)
    • decreased by 20% compared with 5 years ago (23,620)
    • decreased by 12% compared with 10 years ago (21,569)

Road vehicle fires made up 28% of primary fires in the year ending September 2022, a one per cent decrease compared with the previous year (29%) and 10% of total fires in the year ending September 2022, a decrease of 2% when compared with the previous year (12%).

  • 7,578 other outdoor fires, the largest figure for 4 quarters since year ending September 2011. This has

    • increased by 63% compared with the previous year (4,645)
    • increased by 36% compared with 5 years ago (5,578)
    • increased by 38% compared with 10 years ago (5,505)

Other outdoor fires made up 11% of primary fires in the year ending September 2022, a 3% increase compared with the previous year (8%) and 4% of total fires in the year ending September 2022, a one per cent increase compared with the previous year (3%).

Of the 27,202 primary dwelling fires attended by FRSs, 73% were in houses, bungalows, converted flats and other properties, whilst 27% were in purpose-built flats or maisonettes.

FRSs attended 734 fires in purpose-built high-rise (10+ storeys) flats or maisonettes, a 5% decrease compared with the previous year (773), a 3% decrease compared with 5 years ago (753) and a 21% decrease compared with 10 years ago (924). The number of fires in purpose-built high-rise (10+ storeys) flats or maisonettes accounted for 3% of the 27,202 primary dwelling fires attended in the year ending September 2022, a similar proportion to last year.

There are 3 types of purpose-built flats or maisonettes - low rise, medium rise and high rise. In the year ending September 2022:

  • 17% of primary dwelling fires were in purpose-built low-rise (1-3 storeys) flats or maisonettes

  • 7% were in purpose-built medium-rise (4-9 storeys) flats or maisonettes

  • 3% were in purpose-built high-rise (10+ storeys) flats or maisonettes

Total Outdoor Fires for Summer 2022

Outdoor fires are classified as outdoor primary fires or secondary fires; both of these cover a range of different outdoor location types.

Figure 2.2: Total secondary fires and other outdoor fires attended, England; year ending September 2018 to year ending September 2022

The large increases in total incidents (16%) and total fires (28%) can be attributed to the large number of outdoor fires in July to September 2022.The large increase in fire incidents in year ending September 2022 were heavily influenced by the increase in outdoor primary fires and secondary fires.

There were 115,673 secondary fires attended in the year ending September 2022, a 44% increase compared with the previous year. The number of secondary fires attended in the last quarter (July to September) of year ending September 2022 (48,206) was the fifth highest quarterly figure since the IRS was introduced in April 2009 and the largest since the third quarter (April to June) of year ending September 2011 (49,635). There were 7,578 outdoor primary fires attended in the year ending September 2022, a 63% increase compared with the previous year. The number of outdoor primary fires attended in the last quarter of the year ending September 2022 (4,017) is the largest figure since comparable data became available.

The figures for July and August appear to be exceptional compared with more recent monthly trends with:

  • 21,241 outdoor fires in July 2022, nearly trebling the previous year’s figure (7,251)

  • 22,513 outdoor fires in August 2022, an increase of more than threefold when compared with the previous year (7,156)

The exceptional increase in both categories can be linked to the hot, dry summer of 2022, the joint hottest summer on record (see Figure 2.2).

The summer of 2022 saw record breaking temperatures, with 40.3°C recorded at Coningsby in Lincolnshire on 19 July. Dry and warm weather drove heatwaves to develop each month. Secondary fires and outdoor primary fires generally display seasonality, with more occurring during the hotter and drier months. The timing of peaks in outdoor fires varies by year, reflecting the weather conditions at the time.

The summer of 2018 was the last hottest summer on record. Trends for year ending September 2022 being joint hottest on record, reflects the combination of high numbers for both July and August, not just one month as seen for July in summer 2018 (see Figure 2.2).

FRSs in the south and east of England, generally, showed greater percentage increases in the number of outdoor primary fires and secondary fires compared to the same quarter in the previous year (see Table 2.1 below).

Table 2.1: Number of outdoor primary fires and secondary fires attended by FRSs by region; 2021/22 July, August and September and 2022/23 July, August and September [footnote 1]

Region 2021/22 Jul, Aug, Sep 2022/23 Jul, Aug, Sep Percentage change
Yorkshire and the Humber 3,544 8,105 +129%
North West 4,364 6,654 +52%
North East 3,200 6,538 +104%
South East 2,296 6,602 +188%
East 1,914 6,079 +218%
West Midlands 2,439 5,496 +125%
London 1,763 4,803 +172%
East Midlands 1,660 4,233 +155%
South West 1,556 3,713 +139%

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 operate (including accidental initiation by persons) in error.

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

Malicious false alarms are made with the intention of getting the FRS to attend a non-existent incident.

Key result

In the year ending September 2022:

  • FRSs attended 238,885 fire false alarms, the largest total of fire false alarms since year ending September 2012, an increase of 10% compared with the previous year (217,925), an increase of 7% compared with 5 years ago (223,714) but an increase of one per cent compared with 10 years ago (241,216) Source: FIRE0102

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 early in the 2000s to a low of around 211,000 in the year ending September 2015. Since then, there has been a gradual increase (see Figure 3.1) to around 239,000 fire false alarms in the year ending September 2022. This was the largest total of fire false alarms for a 12-month period since the year ending September 2012.

The proportion of total incidents that were fire false alarms in the year ending September 2022 was 38%. This proportion has been relatively stable over the past decade, varying between 38% and 44%.

Figure 3.1: Total fire false alarms by type of false alarm, England; year ending September 2012 to year ending September 2022

Source: FIRE0102

In the year ending September 2022 there were:

  • 163,257 fire false alarms due to apparatus, a 10% increase from the previous year (148,452), a 9% increase from 5 years previously (149,817) but a one per cent decrease from 10 years previously (164,738) Source: FIRE0104

  • 69,155 fire false alarms due to good intent, an 8% increase from the previous year (64,007), a 4% increase from 5 years previously (66,775) and a 2% increase from 10 years previously (67,583) Source: FIRE0104

  • 6,473 malicious fire false alarms, an 18% increase from the previous year (5,466), a 9% decrease from 5 years previously (7,122) and a 27% decrease from 10 years previously (8,895) Source: FIRE0104

4. Non-fire incidents attended

FRSs attend many types of incidents 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, 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 September 2022:

  • FRSs attended 196,436 non-fire incidents, the largest figure for the year to September since comparable data became available: a 13% increase compared with the previous year (174,185) and a 13% increase compared with 5 years ago (174,359) Source: FIRE0901

Of these non-fire incidents:

  • FRSs attended 62,036 collaborating incidents[footnote 2], a 16% increase compared with the previous year (53,367) and a 73% increase compared with 5 years ago (35,807) Source: FIRE0901

  • FRSs attended 31,129 road traffic collisions, an 18% increase compared with the previous year (26,490) and a 4% increase compared with 5 years ago (30,024) Source: FIRE0901

  • FRSs attended 17,383 medical incidents[footnote 3], a 4% increase compared with the previous year (16,732) and a 59% decrease compared with 5 years ago (42,523) when Emergency Medical Responding Trials (EMR) were in operation, hence the large decrease Source: FIRE0901

  • FRSs attended 14,306 flooding incidents, a 16% decrease compared with the previous year (16,968) and a 14% increase compared with 5 years ago (12,593) Source: FIRE0901

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 September 2015 (Figure 4.1). This was followed by a large increase of almost two-fifths to the year to March 2017, coinciding with the introduction of EMR and the duty to collaborate legislation. When the EMR trial stopped in 2017 the total number of non-fire incidents slowly decreased to around 160,000 in the year ending September 2020.

In the year ending September 2022, this slow decrease was reversed with a 13% increase in non-fire incidents compared to the previous year, and the largest incident categories, except for flooding, showed increases.

Figure 4.1: Total non-fire incidents attended by FRSs, England; year ending September 2012 to year ending September 2022

Source: FIRE0901

In the year ending September 2022, FRSs attended 196,436 non-fire incidents, the largest figure for 4 quarters since comparable data became available. This was a 13% increase compared with the previous year (174,185), a 13% increase compared with 5 years ago (174,359) and a 45% increase compared with 10 years ago (135,363). The large change between the previous and latest year partly reflects the impact of national lockdowns and restrictions in 2020 and early 2021.

Types of non-fire incidents

Overall, the number of non-fire incidents increased by 13%, compared to the previous year as shown in Table 4.1. The table shows that while the 3 largest incident types increased over this time, the number of flooding incidents decreased. Again, the comparator year was affected by the national lockdowns and restrictions that were in place until June 2021.

Table 4.1: The largest categories of non-fire incidents attended by FRSs in England; year ending September 2021 to year ending September 2022

Non-fire incident type Year ending September 2021 Year ending September 2022 Percentage change
Total non-fire incidents 174,185 196,436 +13%
Collaborating incidents 53,367 62,036 +16%
Road traffic collisions 26,490 31,129 +18%
Medical incidents 16,732 17,383 +4%
Flooding incidents 16,968 14,306 -16%

Source: FIRE0901, FIRE0902

The 16% increase in collaborating incidents, compared to the previous year, continues a recent trend of increases. In the year to March 2015, there were 21,146 collaborating incidents, this had virtually doubled by the end of the year to March 2019 (41,635) and nearly trebled by the year to March 2022 (59,644).

The start of the increase coincided with the duty to collaborate legislation, whereby each emergency service “must keep under consideration whether entering into a collaboration agreement with one or more other relevant emergency services in England could be in the interests of the efficiency or effectiveness of that service and those other services.”

For the year ending September 2022, the 3 sub-categories of collaborating incidents each increased on the previous year, with:

  • assisting other agencies increased by 17%

  • effecting entry or exit increased by 16%

  • assisting at suicide attempts increased by 14%

The 4% increase in medical incidents compared to the previous year counters a recent trend of decreases. The recent downward trend follows the removal of FBU support for EMR trials. These trials began in 2015 when the National Joint Council (NJC) supported trials where FRSs formed agreements with ambulance trusts to undertake health and care related work, in particular, co-responding. There was a large increase of almost two-fifths to the year to March 2017, coinciding with the introduction. Following the withdrawal of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) support in September 2017, the number of these incidents decreased to a level slightly higher than before the trials.

The 18% increase in road traffic collisions, compared to the year to September 2021, probably reflects increases in road traffic, following easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Prior to the number of journeys being affected by lockdown the series was relatively stable (between 27,000 and 34,000 in each year since data became available in the year to March 2010) and has now returned to broadly that level (31,129 in the year to September 2022).

The 16% decrease in flooding incidents, compared to the previous year, could be linked to the hot, dry summer of 2022, which is part of the most recent year’s figure. Rainfall in the months of July and August was well below average in most places with 35% and 47% respectively for England overall. Fine conditions continued into September, but the latter part of the month saw showery conditions, especially in the north-east, south-east and Cornwall, with 110% average rainfall overall.

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.

As the Incident Recording System (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 September 2022:

  • there were 276 fire-related fatalities (see Figure 5.1) compared with 249 in the previous year (an increase of 11%) and 4 fatal fires in purpose-built high rise flats or maisonettes, unchanged from the previous year. Source: FIRE0502

  • there were 216 fire-related fatalities in dwelling fires, compared with 192 in the previous year (an increase of 13%) Source: FIRE0502

  • there were 6,098 non-fatal casualties[footnote 4], a 6% decrease compared with 6,492 in the previous year - this includes 2,500 casualties requiring hospital treatment, a 7% decrease compared with the 2,677 in the previous year Source: FIRE0502

The number of fire-related fatalities in England has been on a general downward trend from the early 1980s when comparable figures first became available. There was an exceptionally high figure in the year ending September 2017(see Figure 5.1) due to the Grenfell Tower fire[footnote 5].

The number of fire-related fatalities in the year ending September 2022 included 99 fire-related fatalities from the final 3 months of 2021, the highest quarterly figure since April to June 2017 (the quarter the Grenfell Tower fire occurred in) and prior to that the highest since October, November and December in 2008. Fire-related fatalities in dwelling fires are the largest category and have also shown the largest figure since April, May and June in 2017. In the year ending September 2022, there was also a relatively large number of road vehicle fire-related fatalities (37) compared to September 2021 that contributed to the overall increase. It should also be noted that the numbers of fire-related fatalities, whether annual or quarterly, are prone to fluctuations due to relatively low numbers.

Figure 5.1: Total fire-related fatalities, England; year ending September 2012 to year ending September 2022

Source: FIRE0502

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

There were 4 fire-related fatalities in purpose-built high-rise (10+ storeys) flats or maisonettes in the year ending September 2022. FRSs attended 734 fires in these flats or maisonettes, of which there were 4 fatal fires. This compares to 6 fire-related fatalities in the previous year in 4 fatal fires.

There were 112 fire-related fatalities in single occupancy houses in the year ending September 2022, compared to 96 in the previous year.

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.

Compared with the year ending September 2021, the number of hospital severe casualties decreased by one per cent, the number of hospital slight casualties decreased by 8%, the number of first aid given decreased by 6% and the number of recommended precautionary checks decreased by 6%.

Figure 5.2: Total non-fatal casualties in fires by injury severity, England; year ending September 2012 to year ending September 2022

Source: FIRE0502

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

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, for example, breakdowns by time components. Full commentary and further tables for the financial year 2021 to 2022 can be found in Detailed Analysis of Fire Response Times

Key results

In the year ending September 2022:

  • the average total response time to primary fires[footnote 6] in England was 9 minutes and 11 seconds, the longest average response time seen since comparable statistics became available: an increase of 28 seconds since the previous year Source: FIRE1001

  • all types of primary fires showed an increase in average response times (dwelling fires by 13 seconds, other building fires by 9 seconds, road vehicle fires by 18 seconds and other outdoor fires by one minute 14 seconds) Source: FIRE1001

  • the average total response time to secondary fires[footnote 7] (which can broadly be thought of as smaller outdoor fires, not involving people or property) in England increased by 25 seconds, compared with the previous year, to 9 minutes and 42 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 at 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 one 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 (e.g. 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 increased gradually between the year ending March 1995 (when these data were first collected) and the year ending March 2015. Response times appeared to have levelled off between year ending March 2015 and year ending March 2018. Every year since, response times have increased except from the year ending March 2020 and 2021, where response times decreased, probably due to decreased traffic levels due to COVID-19 lockdowns.

The average total response time to primary fires in the year ending September 2022 was 9 minutes and 11 seconds, the longest average response time seen since comparable statistics became available. There was an increase of one minute 10 seconds over the past decade, 34 seconds in the past 5 years and 28 seconds over the last year - the pattern varied across different types of fire (see Figure 6.1). Response times in general decreased in the year to September 2021 due to lockdowns causing fewer road journeys.

The average response time to dwelling fires increased by 13 seconds in the year ending September 2022 compared with the previous year (from 7 minutes and 45 seconds to 7 minutes and 58 seconds). Within the dwelling fire category:

  • the average response time to fires in purpose-built flats/maisonettes was 7 minutes and 10 seconds

  • the average response time to fires in houses and bungalows was 8 minutes and 28 seconds

  • the average response time to fires in other dwellings was 7 minutes and 50 seconds

This may reflect the fact that flats are generally in urban locations which tend to be in closer proximity to a fire station than rural areas.

The average response time to other building fires in the year ending September 2022 was 8 minutes and 54 seconds, an increase of 9 seconds compared with the previous year. Of these:

  • 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 28 seconds

  • the average response time to fires in non-residential buildings was 8 minutes and 58 seconds.

This was likely due to FRSs prioritising fires with the greatest risk to life.

The average response time for road vehicles increased by 18 seconds to 9 minutes and 58 seconds in the year ending September 2022.

The average response time to other outdoor fires increased by one minute 24 seconds to 12 minutes and 25 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 September 2022, and so are prone to fluctuation as illustrated in Figure 6.1. These incidents increased by 63% from the previous year.

In the year ending September 2022, the average response time to secondary fires was 9 minutes and 42 seconds, an increase of 25 seconds from last year. This might partly reflect the increase in this type of incident of 44% on the previous year.

Figure 6.1: Average total response times (minutes) by type of fire, England; year ending September 2012 to year ending September 2022

Source: FIRE1001

7. Summary of changes over time

Table 7.1: Number of incidents, comparing the year ending September 2022 with one, 5 and 10 years previously

Incident type Year ending Sep 2022 Year ending Sep 2021 One year change Year ending Sep 2017 5 year change Year ending Sep 2012 10 year change
All incidents 620,758 537,423 +16% 569,099 +9% 552,086 +12%
Fires 185,437 145,313 +28% 171,026 +8% 175,507 +6%
Primary fires 67,389 61,597 +9% 75,810 -11% 78,966 -15%
Dwelling fires 27,202 26,974 +1% 30,443 -11% 34,012 -20%
Accidental dwelling fires 24,438 24,294 +1% 27,223 -10% 29,965 -18%
Outdoor primary fires 7,578 4,645 +63% 5,578 +36% 5,505 +38%
Secondary fires 115,673 80,516 +44% 91,091 +27% 90,226 +28%
Fire false alarms 238,885 217,925 +10% 223,714 +7% 241,216 -1%
Non-fire incidents 196,436 174,185 +13% 174,359 +13% 135,363 +45%
Fatalities and non-fatal casualties Year ending Sep 2022 Year ending Sep 2021 One year change Year ending Sep 2017 5 year change Year ending Sep 2012 10 year change
Fire-related fatalities 276 249 +11% 363 -24% 287 -4%
Fire-related fatalities in dwellings 216 192 +13% 295 -27% 212 +2%
Non-fatal casualties 6,098 6,492 -6% 7,333 -17% 8,737 -30%
Non-fatal casualties requiring hospital treatment 2,500 2,677 -7% 3,296 -24% 3,944 -37%
Non-fatal casualties in dwellings 4,472 5,012 -11% 5,498 -19% 6,955 -36%

Table 7.3: Average response times, comparing the year ending September 2022 with one, 5 and 10 years previously

Fire type Year ending Sep 2022 Year ending Sep 2021 One year change Year ending Sep 2017 5 year change Year ending Sep 2012 10 year change
Primary fires 9m 11s 8m 43s +28s 8m 37s +34s 8m 1s +1m 10s
Dwellings 7m 58s 7m 45s +13s 7m 46s +12s 7m 19s +39s
Other buildings 8m 54s 8m 45s +9s 8m 26s +28s 7m 44s +1m 10s
Road vehicles 9m 58s 9m 40s +18s 9m 33s +25s 9m 5s +53s
Other outdoors 12m 25s 11m 11s +1m 14s 10m 43s +1m 42s 9m 41s +2m 44s
Secondary fires 9m 42s 9m 17s +25s 9m 9s +33s 8m 23s +1m 19s

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 Incident Recording System (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).

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 the end of September 2022. This includes incident records that were submitted to the IRS by 18 November 2022, when a snapshot of the database was taken for the purpose of analysis. As a snapshot of the dataset was taken on 18 November 2022, 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 September 2022.

In response to the coronavirus 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 restrictions and lockdowns are therefore captured in IRS data for the comparator year.

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.

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.

These include:

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 Incident Recording System, 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. The table is ordered by the number of outdoor fires in 2022/23 July, August and September ↩

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

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

  4. 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. ↩

  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. Primary fires are those that meet at least one 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. ↩

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

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