Fire and rescue incident statistics: England, year ending September 2023
Published 25 January 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
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Frequency of release: Quarterly
Forthcoming releases: Home Office statistics release calendar
Home Office responsible statistician: Helene Clark
Press enquiries: pressoffice@homeoffice.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 123 3535
Public enquiries: firestatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk
This quarterly release contains statistics about incidents attended by fire and rescue services (FRSs) in England for the year ending September 2023 covering the last 10 years. 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. In addition, this release includes a section covering statistics for Great Britain for the year ending March 2023.
Key results
FRSs attended 591,676 incidents in the year ending September 2023, a decrease of 4.8% compared with the previous year (621,292). Of these incidents, there were 143,625 fires, which was a decrease of 23% compared with the previous year (185,620). These decreases can be attributed to a decrease of 32% in secondary fires and a decrease of 39% in outdoor primary fires, as the comparator year covers the hot, dry summer of 2022.
Figure KR.1: Total incidents attended by incident type, England; the year ending September 2013 to the year ending September 2023
Source: FIRE0102
In the year ending September 2023, there were 278 fire-related fatalities in 258 fatal fires, compared with 273 fire-related fatalities in 251 fatal fires the previous year. The high number of fire-related fatalities in the year ending September 2023 was despite a low figure in the most recent quarter (July to September 2023).
Figure KR.2: Total fire-related fatalities, England; the year ending September 2013 to the year ending September 2023
Source: FIRE0502
1. Incident summary
Incidents that FRSs attend are categorised into fires attended, non-fire incidents and fire false alarms.
Key results
In the year ending September 2023:
- 591,676 incidents were attended by FRSs, a decrease of 4.8% compared with the previous year (621,292), an increase of 1.2% compared with 5 years ago (584,383) and an increase of 11%, compared with 10 years ago (533,257); Source: FIRE0102, figure KR.1
- of all incidents attended by FRSs, fires accounted for 24%, fire false alarms 42% and non-fire incidents 34%, compared with fires accounting for 33%, fire false alarms 43% and non-fire incidents 24%, 10 years ago; Source: FIRE0102, figure 1.1
Total incidents
Over the past decade, as shown in figure KR.1, the number of incidents attended by FRSs in England has been on a gradual, if fluctuating, upward trend. In the year ending September 2013, there were around 533,000 incidents attended, which had increased by 11% to 592,000 by the year to September 2023. The year ending September 2022 showed the most incidents attended (roughly 621,000) for over a decade, due to the hot, dry summer of 2022. When compared to that high figure, there was a decrease of 4.8% overall in the year ending September 2023.
As figure 1.1 shows the share of incidents between incident types has changed over the past decade, with a greater share of incidents being non-fire incidents over recent years.
Figure 1.1: Proportion of incidents attended by incident type, England; the year ending September 2013 to the year ending September 2023
Source: FIRE0102
Notes:
- Non-fire incidents include non-fire false alarms.
Figure 1.1 and figure KR.1 show that of the 591,676 total incidents in the year ending September 2023, fire false alarms accounted for the majority of incidents with 42%. This compares with 43% of incidents 10 years ago. In the same year, non-fire incidents accounted for 34% of incidents. The highest proportion for any 12-month period since quarterly data became available in 2009. This compares with 24% of incidents 10 years ago. And finally, in the year ending September 2023, fires accounted for 24% of incidents. The lowest proportion for any 12-month period since quarterly data became available in 2009. This compares with 33% of incidents 10 years ago.
2. Fires attended
Fire incidents attended 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 used by FRSs during the incident.
Primary fires Those that meet at least one of the following criteria:
(i) occurred in a (non-derelict) building, vehicle or outdoor structure.
(ii) involved a fatality, casualty or rescue.
(iii) were attended by 5 or more pumping appliances.
Secondary fires Generally small outdoor fires, not involving people or property.
Chimney fires In (non-industrial) buildings where the flame was contained within the chimney structure.
Key results
In the year ending September 2023:
- FRSs attended 143,625 fires, a decrease of 23% compared with the previous year (185,620) and a decrease of 18% compared with 10 years ago (176,214); Source: FIRE0102
- there were 62,558 primary fires, a decrease of 7.2% compared with the previous year (67,443), and a decrease of 17% compared with 10 years ago (75,686); Source: FIRE0102
- there were 78,584 secondary fires, a decrease of 32% compared with the previous year (115,794) and a decrease of 16% compared with 10 years ago (93,067); Source: FIRE0102
- FRSs attended 707 fires in purpose-built high-rise (10 or more storeys) flats or maisonettes, a decrease of 5.0% compared with the previous year (744); Source: FIRE0205
Total fires
Over the past decade, as shown in figure 2.1, the number of fires attended by FRSs in England has been broadly stable. The number of fires is affected by the weather, and the summers of 2013, 2018 and 2022 were relatively hot and dry. This caused high numbers of fires, particularly outdoor primary and secondary fires.
Figure 2.1: Total fires attended by type of fire, England; year ending September 2013 to year ending September 2023
Source: FIRE0102
Outdoor Fires in 2022
The year ending September 2022 showed the most fires attended (roughly 186,000) for over a decade, due to the hot, dry summer of 2022 where there was a large number of outdoor fires. During the quarter July to September 2022, there were 48,309 secondary fires (this was the largest number of secondary fires in any quarter since April to June 2010, which had 49,635) and 3,995 outdoor primary fires. Compared to that high figure of roughly 186,000 total fires, there was a decrease of 23% overall in the year ending September 2023.
The increase in outdoor fires was further discussed in ‘Fire and rescue incident statistics: England, year ending September 2022’, ‘Total outdoor fires for summer 2022’ and the ‘Outdoor fires’ section of the ‘Detailed analysis of fires attended by fire and rescue services, England, April 2022 to March 2023’ release.
Primary fires
The number of primary fires (those considered to be the most serious or with a threat to life or property) has decreased over the past decade.
Primary fires accounted for 44% of total fires in the year ending September 2023. This compares with 36% in the previous year, 41% 5 years ago and 43% 10 years ago. The proportion of total fires accounted for by primary fires has fluctuated year-on-year, but generally decreased since the peak in the year ending September 2016 (47%).
There were 39,045 building fires (dwelling and other building fires) in the year ending September 2023, which was 6.6% of all incidents, 27% of all fires and 62% of all primary fires. This reflects the changing mix of incidents and fire types within primary fires over the past decade, as in the year ending September 2013 9.4% of all incidents, 28% of all fires and 66% of all primary fires were building fires.
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 These calls are where a fire alarm or fire-fighting equipment operate (including accidental initiation by persons) in error.
Good intent These calls are made in good faith in the belief that the FRS really would be attending a fire.
Malicious These false alarms are made with the intention of getting the FRS to attend a non-existent incident.
Key results
In the year ending September 2023:
- FRSs attended 246,529 fire false alarms, the largest year ending September figure since 2011
- fire false alarms increased by 3.1% compared with the previous year (239,047), increased by 6.3% compared with 5 years ago (231,916) and increased by 8.0% compared with 10 years ago (228,311); Source: FIRE0102
Fire false alarms by type
The number of fire false alarms attended by FRSs in England was on a general downward trajectory to a low of around 211,000 in the year ending December 2015. Since then, with the exception of a period of decreases around the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a gradual increase in fire false alarms to around 247,000 in the year ending September 2023.
Figure 3.1: Total fire false alarms by type of false alarm, England; year ending September 2013 to year ending September 2023
Source: FIRE0102
Figure 3.1 shows the type of fire false alarm incidents by year. In the year ending September 2023, there were:
- 174,362 fire false alarms due to apparatus (the highest annual figure in the past decade), an increase of 6.8% from the previous year (163,330), an increase of 14% from 5 years previously (152,840) and an increase of 14% from 10 years previously (152,835); Source: FIRE0104
- 65,644 fire false alarms due to good intent, a decrease of 5.2% from the previous year (69,242), a decrease of 8.5% from 5 years previously (71,754) and a decrease of 2.5% from 10 years previously (67,330); Source: FIRE0104
- 6,523 malicious fire false alarms, an increase of 0.7% compared with the previous year (6,475), but a decrease of 11% from 5 years previously (7,322) and a decrease of 20% from 10 years previously (8,146); 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 (RTCs), animal assistance and collaborating 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 2023:
- FRSs attended 201,522 non-fire incidents, the largest figure for a year ending September, since the introduction of the online IRS in 2009; Source: FIRE0102
- the number of non-fire incidents increased by 2.5% compared with the previous year (196,625), increased by 18% compared with 5 years ago (170,388) and increased by 57% compared with 10 years ago (128,732); Source: FIRE0901
Types of non-fire incidents
Figure 4.1 shows the number of non-fire incidents over the past decade had 2 clear increases - the first in the year ending September 2016 and the second in the year ending September 2022. It also shows the increase in medical incidents in the second half of the 2010s, the increase in collaboration incidents that started at roughly the same time but has continued into the 2020s, and an increase in other non-fire incidents in the 2020s.
The figure for the year ending September 2020, and in particular the number of RTCs, was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Figure 4.1: Total non-fire incidents attended by FRSs, England; year ending September 2013 to year ending September 2023
Source: FIRE0901
Over the past 10 years the number of “other non-fire incidents” has increased from roughly 52,100 to approximately 70,900, an increase of 36%. This compares to a decrease of 1.0% compared to the previous year. This grouping contains a variety of incident types, as provided in FIRE0901. The increase over the past decade in other non-fire incidents occurs for many of the sub-types in this wide ranging category, though the largest increase is for “no action” - an incident type that covers occasions where a non-fire emergency call is made but action is not required when the firefighters arrive at the scene. Given there are more non-fire incidents generally, and assisting other agencies incidents in particular, it follows that the number of “no action” incidents increase as some non-fire incidents will inevitably end in no action.
Table 4.1 shows that collaborating incidents, RTCs and flooding incidents increased in the year ending September 2023, compared with the previous year, whereas medical incidents decreased.
Table 4.1: The main categories of non-fire incidents attended by FRSs in England; year ending September 2022 to year ending September 2023
| Non-fire incident type | Year ending September 2023 | Year ending September 2022 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total non-fire incidents | 201,522 | 196,625 | +2.5% |
| Collaborating incidents | 64,334 | 62,080 | +3.6% |
| Medical incidents | 16,150 | 17,400 | -7.2% |
| Road traffic collisions (RTCs) | 31,458 | 31,175 | +0.9% |
| Flooding incidents | 18,664 | 14,309 | +30% |
| Other non-fire incidents | 70,916 | 71,661 | -1.0% |
Source: FIRE0901, FIRE0902
Collaborating incidents
In the year ending September 2023:
- FRSs attended 64,334 collaborating incidents[footnote 1], this is the highest figure since the implementation of the online IRS; Source: FIRE0901
- collaborating incidents accounted for 32% of non-fire incidents, virtually unchanged from 32% the previous year and 24% 5 years ago
The number of collaborating incidents has almost trebled from around 21,400 in year ending June 2015 to around 64,300 in year ending September 2023. These increases coincided with the introduction of the duty to collaborate legislation.
For the year ending September 2023, the 3 sub-categories of collaborating incidents each increased on the previous year, with:
- assisting other agencies increasing by 1.1%, to 27,066
- effecting entry or exit increasing by 5.1%, to 34,287
- assisting at suicide attempts increasing by 10%, to 2,981
Medical incidents
In the year ending September 2023:
- FRSs attended 16,150 medical incidents[footnote 2], a decrease of 7.2% compared with the previous year (17,400) and a decrease of 36% compared with 5 years ago (25,320), when Emergency Medical Responding Trials (EMR) were in operation; Source: FIRE0901
- medical incidents accounted for 8.0% of non-fire incidents, a decrease from 8.8% the previous year and from 15% 5 years ago
Medical incidents peaked in the year ending September 2017 (42,524), during the EMR trials, and subsequently decreased. Since the year ending March 2019, the number of medical incidents attended has fluctuated between around 13,800 and 19,900 for a rolling year.
Road traffic collisions (RTCs)
In the year ending September 2023:
- FRSs attended 31,458 RTCs, an increase of 0.9% compared to the previous year (31,175) but an increase of 2.8% compared with 5 years ago (30,597); Source: FIRE0901
- RTCs accounted for 16% of non-fire incidents, virtually unchanged compared with the previous year but a decrease from 18% 5 years ago
RTCs generally increased from around 27,600 in the year ending September 2013, to around 31,300 in the year ending September 2019, before falling during the COVID-19 period, to around 26,500 in the year ending September 2021. Subsequently the numbers have returned to a level similar to that seen prior to COVID-19.
Flooding incidents
In the year ending September 2023:
- FRSs attended 18,664 flooding incidents, an increase of 30% compared with the previous year (14,309) and an increase of 13% compared with 5 years ago (16,491); Source: FIRE0901
- flooding incidents accounted for 9.3% of non-fire incidents, an increase from 7.3% the previous year but virtually unchanged compared with 9.7% 5 years ago; Source: FIRE0901
The number of flooding incidents has fluctuated between around 12,000 and 19,000 over the past decade.
5. Fire-related fatalities and casualties
Fire-related fatalities Those that would not have otherwise occurred had there not been a fire. For the statistical releases, a fire-related fatality includes those that were recorded as ‘don’t know’.
Non-fatal casualties Those resulting from a fire, whether the injury was caused by the fire or not.
Fatal fires 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 small numbers.
Key results
In the year ending September 2023:
- there were 278 fire-related fatalities compared with 273 in the previous year (an increase of 1.8%); Source: FIRE0502
- there were 2 fatal fires resulting in 2 fire-related fatalities in purpose-built high-rise flats or maisonettes, compared to 4 fatal fires with 4 fire-related fatalities in the previous year; Source: FIRE0205
- there were 208 fire-related fatalities in dwelling fires, compared with 216 in the previous year (a decrease of 3.7%); Source: FIRE0502
- there were 6,205 non-fatal casualties[footnote 3], an increase of 0.9% compared with the 6,149 in the previous year; Source: FIRE0502
- there were 2,762 non-fatal casualties requiring hospital treatment, an increase of 12% compared with the 2,460 in the previous year; Source: FIRE0502
Fire-related fatalities
Over the past decade, as shown in figure KR.2 and figure 5.1, the number of fire-related fatalities have fluctuated year-on-year. There were notable increases in the year ending September 2015 (296)[footnote 4] and the year ending September 2017 (363) - the latter of which included 71 fatalities as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire[footnote 5]. Some quarters have shown high numbers of fire related fatalities over the past few years, resulting in increases in the rolling annual figures since the turn of the decade.
The number of fire-related fatalities (35) in the most recent quarter (July to September 2023) was the lowest since comparable data became available in April to June 2001, and compares to 80, 80 and 83 in the previous 3 quarters of the year ending September 2023. It should be noted that the numbers of fire-related fatalities, whether annual or quarterly, are prone to fluctuations due to relatively small numbers.
Fire-related fatalities in dwelling fires are the largest category, accounting for 75% of fire-related fatalities in the year ending September 2023. During this year there were 208 fire-related fatalities in dwelling fires, a decrease of 3.7% compared with 216 in the previous year.
As shown in figure 5.1, the percentage of primary fires that resulted in a fatality has ranged between 0.3% and just over 0.4% over the past 10 years. With the exception of the year ending September 2017 the ratio of fire-related fatalities and fires that resulted in at least 1 fatality has been relatively stable over the same period. There were 278 fire-related fatalities in the year ending September 2023, from 258 fires that resulted in at least 1 fatality.
Figure 5.1: Total fire-related fatalities, fires that resulted in at least 1 fatality and the percentage of primary fires that resulted in a fatality England; year ending September 2013 to year ending September 2023
Source: FIRE0502
Notes:
- 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”.
Fatalities in high-rise flats and maisonettes
In the year ending September 2023, FRSs attended 707 fires in purpose-built high-rise (10 or more storeys) flats or maisonettes, a decrease of 5.0% compared with the previous year (744), a decrease of 13% compared with 5 years ago (810) and a decrease of 17% compared with 10 years ago (856).
Over the 5 years ending September 2023, FRSs attended 3,800 fires in purpose-built high-rise (10+ storeys) flats or maisonettes, which resulted in 19 fatal fires and 21 fire-related fatalities. This compared to 3,911 fires, resulting in 14 fatal fires and 84 fire-related fatalities in the 5 years previously, ending September 2018 (this 5-year span included the Grenfell Tower Fire).
Non-fatal casualties
The number of non-fatal casualties in fires in England has been on a downward trend in the past decade, with the “hospital slight” and “first aid” categories showing the biggest decline.
In the year ending September 2023, there were 6,205 non-fatal casualties, an increase of 0.9% compared with the previous year (6,149). The 4 sub-categories were as follows:
- 578 hospital severe casualties, an increase of 4.1% compared with the previous year and the third successive year-on-year increase
- 2,184 hospital slight casualties, an increase of 15% compared with the previous year
- 1,563 first aid casualties, a decrease of 17% compared with the previous year
- 1,880 precautionary check casualties, an increase of 4.4% compared with the previous year
Figure 5.2: Total non-fatal casualties in fires by injury severity, England; year ending September 2013 to year ending September 2023
Source: FIRE0502
Notes:
- These figures are for all casualties in fires, whether the fire caused the casualty or not.
6. Response times to fire incidents
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 year ending March 2023 can be found in Detailed analysis of fire response times.
Key results
In the year ending September 2023:
- the average total response time to primary fires[footnote 6] in England was 9 minutes and 0 seconds, a decrease of 10 seconds on the previous year; Source: FIRE1001
- the average total response time to secondary fires[footnote 7] in England went from 9 minutes and 42 seconds to 9 minutes and 23 seconds, a decrease of 19 seconds; Source: FIRE1001
The decrease in the year ending September 2023 on the year ending September 2022 is likely due in part to the decreased number of incidents since the hot dry summer of 2022.
Response times to fire incidents
Total response time Defined as 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 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).
As shown in figure 6.1, response times to fires have increased gradually over the past decade. There was a decrease in the average response time to primary fires in the year ending September 2020, probably due to the impact of less traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within this gradual upward trend, there have been spikes in the year ending September 2018 and September 2022, probably due to the greater number of incidents in those years.
Figure 6.1: Average total response times (minutes) by type of fire, England; year ending September 2013 to year ending September 2023
Source: FIRE1001
All primary fires
The average response time to primary fires was 9 minutes and 0 seconds, in the year ending September 2023. This was:
- a decrease of 10 seconds compared with the previous year (9 minutes and 10 seconds)
- an increase of 10 seconds compared with 5 years ago (8 minutes and 50 seconds)
- an increase of 49 seconds compared with 10 years ago (8 minutes and 11 seconds)
Dwelling fires
The average response time to dwelling fires was 7 minutes and 59 seconds, in the year ending September 2023. This was:
- an increase of 2 seconds compared with the previous year (7 minutes and 57 seconds)
- an increase of 8 seconds compared with 5 years ago (7 minutes and 51 seconds)
- an increase of 33 seconds compared with 10 years ago (7 minutes and 26 seconds)
Primary outdoor fires
The average response time to other outdoor fires was 11 minutes and 23 seconds, in the year ending September 2023. This was:
- a decrease of 1 minute 2 seconds compared with the previous year (12 minutes and 25 seconds)
- a decrease of 5 seconds compared with 5 years ago (11 minutes and 28 seconds)
- an increase of 1 minute 12 seconds compared with 10 years ago (10 minutes and 11 seconds)
It should be noted that other outdoor fires are numerically the smallest of the main primary fire types, accounting for 7.4% of primary fires in the year ending September 2023. The small number of primary outdoor fires means that the response times are prone to fluctuation, which can impact year-on-year comparisons. These incidents decreased by 39% from the previous year, reflecting the high number of outdoor fires in the hot dry summer of 2022.
Secondary fires
The average response time to secondary fires was 9 minutes and 23 seconds, in the year ending September 2023. This was:
- a decrease of 19 seconds compared with the previous year (9 minutes and 42 seconds)
- a decrease of 16 seconds compared with 5 years ago (9 minutes and 39 seconds)
- an increase of 41 seconds compared with 10 years ago (8 minutes and 42 seconds)
The increase in the average response time to secondary fires might reflect the decrease of 32% in the number of these incidents attended, compared with the previous year.
7. Summary of changes over time
Table 7.1: Number of incidents, comparing the year ending September 2023 with 1, 5 and 10 years previously
| Incident type | Year ending September 2023 | Year ending September 2022 | 1-year change | Year ending Sep 2018 | 5-year change | Year ending Sep 2013 | 10-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All incidents | 591,676 | 621,292 | -4.8% | 584,383 | +1.2% | 533,257 | +11% |
| Fires | 143,625 | 185,620 | -23% | 182,079 | -21% | 176,214 | -18% |
| Primary fires | 62,558 | 67,443 | -7.2% | 74,766 | -16% | 75,686 | -17% |
| Dwelling fires | 25,972 | 27,228 | -4.6% | 30,747 | -16% | 33,117 | -22% |
| Accidental dwelling fires | 23,280 | 24,456 | -4.8% | 27,576 | -16% | 29,598 | -21% |
| Outdoor primary fires | 4,638 | 7,551 | -39% | 6,722 | -31% | 5,210 | -11% |
| Secondary fires | 78,584 | 115,794 | -32% | 103,389 | -24% | 93,067 | -16% |
| Fire false alarms | 246,529 | 239,047 | +3.1% | 231,916 | +6.3% | 228,311 | +8.0% |
| Non-fire incidents | 201,522 | 196,625 | +2.5% | 170,388 | +18% | 128,732 | +57% |
Table 7.2: Number of fire-related fatalities and non-fatal casualties, comparing the year ending September 2023 with 1, 5 and 10 years previously
| Fatalities and non-fatal casualties | Year ending September 2023 | Year ending September 2022 | 1-year change | Year ending Sep 2018 | 5-year change | Year ending Sep 2013 | 10-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire-related fatalities | 278 | 273 | +1.8% | 249 | +12% | 298 | -6.7% |
| Fire-related fatalities in dwellings | 208 | 216 | -3.7% | 185 | +12% | 234 | -11% |
| Non-fatal casualties | 6,205 | 6,149 | +0.9% | 7,112 | -13% | 8,250 | -25% |
| Non-fatal casualties requiring hospital treatment | 2,762 | 2,460 | +12% | 3,132 | -12% | 3,730 | -26% |
| Non-fatal casualties in dwellings | 4,638 | 4,496 | +3.2% | 5,286 | -12% | 6,478 | -28% |
Table 7.3: Average response times, comparing the year ending September 2023 with 1, 5 and 10 years previously
| Type of Fire | Year ending September 2023 | Year ending September 2022 | 1-Year Change | Year ending September 2018 | 5-Year Change | Year ending September 2013 | 10-Year Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary fires | 9m 00s | 9m 10s | -10s | 8m 50s | +10s | 8m 11s | +49s |
| Dwellings | 7m 59s | 7m 57s | +2s | 7m 51s | +8s | 7m 26s | +33s |
| Other buildings | 8m 58s | 8m 54s | +4s | 8m 34s | +24s | 7m 56s | +1m 2s |
| Other outdoors | 11m 23s | 12m 25s | -1m 2s | 11m 28s | -5s | 10m 11s | +1m 12s |
| Road vehicles | 10m 02s | 9m 59s | +3s | 9m 46s | +16s | 9m 16s | +46s |
| Secondary fires | 9m 23s | 9m 42s | -19s | 9m 39s | -16s | 8m 42s | +41s |
Source: Fire statistics data tables
8. National comparisons
England, Scotland and Wales all use the Home Office’s Incident Recording System and therefore, data is comparable. National comparisons are included in this publication once all 3 nations have reported year ending March statistics. All 3 nations publish more detailed information on fire and rescue incidents, focusing on the particular user needs in their nation (see Other related publications section for more details).
Key results
In the year ending March 2023:
- there were around 759,000 incidents attended by FRSs in Great Britain; approximately 622,000 of these were in England, 100,000 in Scotland and 37,000 in Wales and these figures correspond to rates per million people of 10,901 in England, 18,308 in Scotland and 11,951 in Wales; Source: FIRE0101
- there were approximately 80,000 primary fires attended by FRSs in Great Britain; approximately 67,000 of these were in England, 10,000 in Scotland and 4,000 in Wales and these figures correspond to rates per million people of 1,169 in England, 1,797 in Scotland and 1,251 in Wales; Source: FIRE0103
- there were about 29,300 accidental dwelling fires attended by FRSs in Great Britain; approximately 24,100 of these were in England, 3,900 in Scotland and 1,400 in Wales and these figures correspond to rates per million people of 422 in England, 712 in Scotland and 440 in Wales; Source: FIRE0201
- there were 321 fire-related fatalities in Great Britain; 265 of these were in England, 42 in Scotland and 14 in Wales and these figures correspond to rates per million people of 4.6 in England, 7.7 in Scotland and 4.5 in Wales; Source: FIRE0501
- there were 7,531 non-fatal casualties in Great Britain; 6,187 of these were in England, 922 in Scotland and 422 in Wales and these figures correspond to rates per million people of 108 in England, 170 in Scotland and 135 in Wales; Source: FIRE0501
9. 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 2023. This includes incident records that were submitted to the IRS by 13 November 2023, when a snapshot of the database was taken for the purpose of analysis. As a snapshot of the dataset was taken on 13 November 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 September 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.
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.
Other related publications
Home Office publish 5 other statistical releases covering fire and rescue services.
These include:
- Detailed analysis of fires attended by fire and rescue services in England: focuses on fires attended by fire and rescue services across England, fire-related fatalities and non-fatal casualties in those fires; including analyses of the causes of fires and smoke alarms ownership and operation
- Detailed analysis of non-fire incidents attended by fire and rescue services, England: focuses on non-fire incidents attended by fire and rescue services across England, including analysis on overall trends, fatalities and non-fatal casualties in non-fire incidents, and further detailed analysis of different categories of non-fire incidents
- Fire workforce and pension statistics: Information on total workforce, the diversity of the workforce, staff leaving and joining, firefighter injuries, attacks on firefighters, firefighters’ pensions
- Fire prevention and protection statistics, England: focuses on trends in smoke alarm ownership, fire prevention and protection activities by fire and rescue services
- Response times to fires attended by fire and rescue services, England: covers statistics on trends in average response times to fires attended by fire and rescue services
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities also publish statistical releases on fire
These include:
- the English Housing Survey: fire and fire safety report: focuses on the extent to which the existence of fire and fire safety features vary by household and dwelling type and this report focuses on whether people felt safe from fire in their homes, 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 it is 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.
Percentages greater than or equal to 10% have been rounded to the nearest whole number. The term ‘virtually unchanged’ is used in relation to percentage changes of less than 0.5%.
A rolling year in this release is any period of 4 quarters in a row, so either 1 January to 31 December, 1 April to 31 March, 1 July to 30 June or 1 October to 30 September
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Collaborating incidents include “Assisting other agencies”, “Effecting entry or exit” and “Suicide or suicide attempts”. ↩
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Medical incidents include “First responder” and “Co-responder” incidents. ↩
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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. ↩
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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. ↩
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For more information on the Grenfell Tower fire and how the associated fire-related fatalities figures are recorded, see the Fire statistics definitions document. ↩
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Primary fires are those that meet at least one of the following criteria - occurred in a (non-derelict) building, vehicle or outdoor structure, involved a fatality, casualty or rescue or were attended by 5 or more pumping appliances. ↩
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Secondary fires are generally small outdoor fires, not involving people or property. ↩