Accredited official statistics

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

Published 26 October 2023

Applies to England

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Frequency of release: Quarterly

Forthcoming releases: Home Office statistics release calendar

Home Office responsible statistician: Helene Clark

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Public enquiries: [email protected]

This release contains statistics about incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England for the year ending June 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.

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 percentage points.

Key results

FRSs attended 621,552 incidents in the year ending June 2023, a 6.2% increase compared with the previous year (585,139). Of these incidents, there were 173,872 fires, which was a 12% increase compared with the previous year (154,877). These increases can be attributed to an 18% increase in secondary fires and a 40% increase in outdoor primary fires due to the hot, dry summer in 2022 which falls within the latest year.

In the year ending June 2023, there were 284 fire-related fatalities in 264 fatal fires, compared with 271 fire-related fatalities in 247 fatal fires the previous year.

1. Incident summary

Incidents that FRSs attend are categorised into 3 main types:

Key results

In the year ending June 2023:

  • 621,552 incidents were attended by FRSs, a 6.2% increase compared with the previous year (585,139), an 11% increase compared with 5 years ago (559,207) and an 18% increase compared with 10 years ago (525,014); Source: FIRE0102
  • of all incidents attended by FRSs, fires accounted for 28%, fire false alarms 40% and non-fire incidents 32%, compared with fires accounting for 31%, 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 ending 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 ending March 2019 (the largest total since the year to March 2012). In the years ending March 2020 and 2021, the number of incidents decreased due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions. The number of incidents then increased to slightly above pre-pandemic levels in the year ending March 2022 and increased again in the year ending March 2023 due to the hot, dry summer of 2022. The figure in the most recent year ending March is the highest year ending March figure since 2011.

In the year ending June 2023, there were around 622,000 incidents attended by FRSs. This was the largest total number of incidents for a year ending June since 2011 (around 634,000). There was a 6.2% increase in all incidents compared to the previous year, reflecting increases in all 3 main incident types. The total number of incidents attended in the year ending June 2023 was also up compared to 5 and 10 years ago.

Figure 1.1: Total incidents attended by incident type, England; the year ending June 2010 to the year ending June 2023 (x-axis labels show every other year).

Source: FIRE0102

Notes:

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

Figure 1.1 shows that of the 621,552 total incidents in the year ending June 2023, fire false alarms accounted for the largest proportion of incidents with 40%.

This compares with:

  • 40% of incidents in the previous year
  • 41% of incidents 5 years ago
  • 44% of incidents 10 years ago

In the year ending June 2023, non-fire incidents accounted for 32% of incidents. This compares with:

  • 34% of incidents in the previous year
  • 31% of incidents 5 years ago
  • 25% of incidents 10 years ago

In the year ending June 2023, fires accounted for 28% of incidents. This compares with:

  • 26% of incidents in the previous year
  • 29% of incidents 5 years ago
  • 31% of incidents 10 years ago

2. Fires attended

Fire incidents added 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 Those that meet at least one of the following criteria - (i) occurred in a (non-derelict) building, vehicle or outdoor structure or (ii) involved a fatality, casualty or rescue or (iii) were attended by five or more pumping appliances.

Secondary firesGenerally 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 June 2023:

  • FRSs attended 173,872 fires, the largest total number of fire incidents for a year ending June since 2019 (182,706); Source: FIRE0102
  • the number of fire incidents showed a 12% increase compared with the previous year (154,877) and a 5.3% increase compared with 10 years ago (165,114); Source: FIRE0102
  • there were 66,251 primary fires, a 3.8% increase compared with the previous year (63,804), but a 12% decrease compared with 10 years ago (75,391); Source: FIRE0102
  • there were 105,092 secondary fires, an 18% increase compared with the previous year (88,738) and a 28% increase compared with 10 years ago (82,192); Source: FIRE0102
  • FRSs attended 726 fires in purpose-built high-rise (10 or more storeys) flats or maisonettes, a 5.0% decrease compared with the previous year (764); 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 (182,961) and March 2023 (178,785), which both saw exceptionally hot, dry summers. The smallest numbers of fires attended during this period were in the years ending March 2021 (151,113) and March 2022 (152,653) which were both impacted by COVID-19.

More recently, the number of fires in the year ending June 2023 increased by 12% compared with the previous year (154,877), increased by 8.4% compared with 5 years ago (160,467) and increased by 5.3% compared with 10 years ago (165,114). The number of fires in the latest year was the largest year ending June figure since 2019 (182,706), which itself was the largest year to June figure since 2012 (194,245).

The increase in the number of fires in the year ending June 2023 can be attributed to the hot, dry summer of 2022, when there were 48,306 secondary fires in the quarter July to September. This was the largest number of secondary fires in any quarter since April to June 2010 (49,635). Of the 173,872 fire incidents in the year ending June 2023, secondary fires accounted for 60%, an increase compared with the previous year (57%). The increase in secondary 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.

Figure 2.1: Total fires attended by type of fire, England; year ending June 2013 to year ending June 2023

Source: FIRE0102

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 time. In the year ending June 2023, there were 66,251 primary fires. This was a 3.8% increase compared with the previous year (63,804), an 8.9% decrease compared with 5 years ago (72,708), and a 12% decrease compared with 10 years ago (75,391).

Primary fires accounted for 38% of total fires in the year ending June 2023. This compares with 41% in the previous year, 45% 5 years ago and 46% 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 June 2016 (47%).

There are 4 types of primary fires:

  • dwelling fires
  • other building fires
  • road vehicle fires
  • other outdoor fires

In the year ending June 2023, there were 26,491 dwelling fires, which has:

  • decreased by 1.8% compared with the previous year (26,974)
  • decreased by 13% compared with 5 years ago (30,576)
  • decreased by 21% compared with 10 years ago (33,350)

Dwelling fires accounted for 40% of primary fires and 15% of total fires in the year ending June 2023, a decrease of 2.3 percentage points and 2.2 percentage points respectively, compared with the previous year (42% and 17%).

In the year ending June 2023, there were 13,469 other building fires, which has:

  • increased by 1.8% compared with the previous year (13,233)
  • decreased by 10% compared with 5 years ago (14,968)
  • decreased by 20% compared with 10 years ago (16,801)

Other building fires accounted for 20% of primary fires in the year ending June 2023, virtually unchanged compared with 21% in the previous year. Other building fires accounted for 7.7% of total fires in the year ending June 2023, a decrease of 0.8 percentage points compared with 8.5% in the previous year.

In the year ending June 2023, there were 19,256 road vehicle fires, which has:

  • increased by 3.8% compared with the previous year (18,555)
  • decreased by 13% compared with 5 years ago (22,035)
  • decreased by 5.2% compared with 10 years ago (20,314)

Road vehicle fires accounted for 29% of primary fires in the year ending June 2023, unchanged compared with the previous year. Road vehicle fires accounted for 11% of total fires in the year ending June 2023, a decrease of 0.9 percentage points compared with the previous year (12%).

In the year ending June 2023, there were 7,035 other outdoor fires, which has:

  • increased by 40% compared with the previous year (5,042)
  • increased by 37% compared with 5 years ago (5,129)
  • increased by 43% compared with 10 years ago (4,926)

Other outdoor fires accounted for 11% of primary fires and 4.0% of total fires in the year ending June 2023, an increase of 2.7 percentage points and 0.8 percentage points respectively compared with the previous year (7.9% and 3.3%).

Of the 26,491 primary dwelling fires attended by FRSs, 73% were in houses, bungalows, converted flats and other properties (19,319), whilst 27% were in purpose-built flats or maisonettes (7,172). These proportions remain virtually unchanged since last year.

FRSs attended 726 fires in purpose-built high-rise (10 or more storeys) flats or maisonettes, a 5.0% decrease compared with the previous year (764), a 12% decrease compared with 5 years ago (823) and a 15% decrease compared with 10 years ago (857).

There are 3 types of purpose-built flats or maisonettes:

  • low-rise
  • medium-rise
  • high-rise

In the year ending June 2023:

  • 17% of primary dwelling fires were in purpose-built low-rise (1 to 3 storeys) flats or maisonettes
  • 7.1% 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 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 June 2023:

  • FRSs attended 246,581 fire false alarms, the largest year ending June figure since 2011
  • fire false alarms increased by 5.6% compared with the previous year (233,533), increased by 8.5% compared with 5 years ago (227,282) and increased by 7.5% compared with 10 years ago (229,285); 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 214,400 in the year ending March 2016. Since then, with the exception of the year ending March 2021, which saw a decrease due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a gradual increase in fire false alarms to around 244,400 in the year ending March 2023.

Figure 3.1: Total fire false alarms by type of false alarm, England; year ending June 2013 to year ending June 2023

Source: FIRE0102

Figure 3.1 shows the type of fire false alarm incidents by year. In the year ending June 2023, there were:

  • 168,949 fire false alarms due to apparatus, a 3.1% increase from the previous year (163,937), an 11% increase from 5 years previously (152,768) and a 9.0% increase from 10 years previously (155,010); Source: FIRE0104
  • 71,135 fire false alarms due to good intent, a 13% increase from the previous year (63,157), a 5.7% increase from 5 years previously (67,308) and an 8.2% increase from 10 years previously (65,717); Source: FIRE0104
  • 6,497 malicious fire false alarms, similar to the previous year (6,439), but a 9.8% decrease from 5 years previously (7,206) and a 24% decrease from 10 years previously (8,558); 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 June 2023:

  • FRSs attended 201,099 non-fire incidents, the largest figure for a year ending June, since the implementation of the online IRS in 2009; Source: FIRE0102
  • the number of non-fire incidents increased by 2.2% compared with the previous year (196,729), increased by 17% compared with 5 years ago (171,458) and increased by 54% compared with 10 years ago (130,615); Source: FIRE0901

Of these non-fire incidents:

  • FRSs attended 63,909 collaborating incidents[footnote 1], this is the highest figure since the implementation of the online IRS; Source: FIRE0901
  • FRSs attended 31,440 RTCs, similar to the previous year (31,157) but a 3.9% increase compared with 5 years ago (30,263); Source: FIRE0901
  • FRSs attended 18,568 flooding incidents, a 19% increase compared with the previous year (15,539) and a 12% increase compared with 5 years ago (16,563); Source: FIRE0901
  • FRSs attended 16,285 medical incidents[footnote 2], a 10% decrease compared with the previous year (18,127) and a 44% decrease compared with 5 years ago (28,971) when Emergency Medical Responding Trials (EMR) were in operation; Source: FIRE0901

All non-fire incidents attended

There was a general decline in the number of non-fire incidents attended between the year ending March 2008 and the year ending March 2015. This was followed by a large increase of almost two-fifths to the year ending 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 decreased to around 162,000 in the year ending March 2019. Since then, with the exception of a decrease in the year ending March 2021, which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, non-fire incidents have increased year-on-year to around 199,000 in the year ending March 2023. This is the highest year ending March figure since comparable data became available in the year ending March 2000.

Types of non-fire incidents

Figure 4.1 visualises the number of non-fire incidents by type and year and indicates the recent increases in the number of incidents.

Figure 4.1: Total non-fire incidents attended by FRSs, England; year ending June 2013 to year ending June 2023

Source: FIRE0901

In the year ending June 2023, the largest categories of non-fire incidents were:

  • collaborating incidents, which accounted for 32% of non-fire incidents, an increase from 31% the previous year and 23% 5 years ago
  • RTCs, which accounted for 16% of non-fire incidents, virtually unchanged compared with the previous year but a decrease from 18% 5 years ago
  • flooding incidents, which accounted for 9.2% of non-fire incidents, an increase from 7.9% the previous year but virtually unchanged compared with 9.7% 5 years ago
  • medical incidents, which accounted for 8.1% of non-fire incidents, a decrease from 9.2% the previous year and from 17% 5 years ago
  • other non-fire incidents[footnote 3], which accounted for 35% of non-fire incidents, a decrease from 36% the previous year but an increase from 32% 5 years ago

Table 4.1 shows that collaborating incidents, RTCs and flooding incidents increased in the year ending June 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 June 2022 to year ending June 2023

Non-fire incident type Year ending June 2023 Year ending June 2022 % change
Total non-fire incidents 201,099 196,729 +2.2%
Other non-fire incidents 70,897 70,586 +0.4%
Collaborating incidents 63,909 61,320 +4.2%
Road traffic collisions (RTCs) 31,440 31,157 +0.9%
Flooding incidents 18,568 15,539 +19%
Medical incidents 16,285 18,127 -10%

Source: FIRE0901, FIRE0902

Collaborating incidents

In the year ending June 2023, there was a 4.2% increase in collaborating incidents compared with the previous year, continuing a recent trend of increases. The number of collaborating incidents has almost trebled from around 21,400 in year ending June 2015 to around 63,900 in year ending June 2023. These increases have coincided with the introduction of the duty to collaborate legislation, see the further information section for more detail.

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

  • assisting other agencies increasing by 3.2% to 27,233
  • effecting entry or exit increasing by 4.9% to 33,814
  • assisting at suicide attempts increasing by 6.3% to 2,862

Medical incidents

Following the peak of medical incidents in the year ending June 2017 (44,847), the numbers have decreased to a level slightly above that seen prior to the EMR trials. The decrease followed the removal of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) support for the EMR trials. The National Joint Council (NJC) supported the trials, which began in 2015, for FRSs to form 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). Between the year ending March 2015 and the year ending March 2017, there was a large increase in medical incidents of almost two-fifths.

Since the year ending June 2019, the number of medical incidents attended has fluctuated year-on-year between around 15,650 and 18,550. In the year ending June 2023, FRSs attended 16,285 medical incidents, a 10% decrease compared to the previous year.

Road traffic collisions (RTCs)

RTCs generally increased from around 27,400 in the year ending June 2013 to around 31,200 in the year ending June 2019. RTCs then fell during the COVID-19 period to around 25,500 in the year ending June 2021, before returning to a level similar to that seen prior to COVID-19. In the year ending June 2023, FRSs attended 31,440 RTCs, similar to the previous year.

Flooding incidents

The number of flooding incidents has fluctuated between around 12,000 and 19,000 since the introduction of the online IRS in 2009. In the year ending June 2023, there were 18,568 flooding incidents, the largest year ending June figure on record and the second largest figure on record for any 4 consecutive quarters behind the year ending December 2012 (18,871). This was an increase of 19% compared with the previous year (15,539), an increase of 12% compared with 5 years ago (16,563) and an increase of 17% compared with 10 years ago (15,893).

Other non-fire incidents

The number of other non-fire incidents generally decreased since the introduction of the online IRS in 2009 to a low of around 46,900 in the year ending June 2015. Since then, the number has steadily increased to around 70,900 in the year ending June 2023, similar to the previous year but a 28% increase on 5 years ago and a 35% increase on 10 years ago. The specific categories captured within the other non-fire incidents category that contributed to the 5 and 10 year increases the most were:

  • ‘No action (not false alarm)’
  • ‘Good intent non-fire false alarm’
  • ‘Removal of objects from people’

In the year ending June 2023, FRSs attended:

  • 12,894 ‘No action (not false alarm)’ incidents, down 0.6% on the previous year but up 55% on 5 years ago (8,312) and 120% on 10 years ago (5,863)
  • 9,127 ‘Good intent non-fire false alarm’ incidents, up 15% on the previous year, 38% on 5 years ago (6,628) and 57% on 10 years ago (5,799)
  • 6,629 ‘Removal of objects from people’ incidents, down 3.7% on the previous year but up 37% on 5 years ago (4,853) and 55% on 10 years ago (4,274)

See table FIRE0901 for further detail.

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 June 2023:

  • there were 284 fire-related fatalities compared with 271 in the previous year (an increase of 4.8%); Source: FIRE0502
  • there were 4 fatal fires resulting in 4 fire-related fatalities in purpose-built high-rise flats or maisonettes, compared to 1 fatal fire with 1 fire-related fatality in the previous year; Source: FIRE0205
  • there were 218 fire-related fatalities in dwelling fires, compared with 207 in the previous year (an increase of 5.3%); Source: FIRE0502
  • there were 6,240 non-fatal casualties[footnote 4], similar to the 6,212 in the previous year; Source: FIRE0502
  • there were 2,742 non-fatal casualties requiring hospital treatment, a 10% increase compared with the 2,487 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 5] and the year ending March 2018 (338) - the latter of which included 71 fatalities as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire[footnote 6]. There was also a notable increase in the year ending March 2022 (274).

It should be noted that the numbers of fire-related fatalities, whether annual or quarterly, are prone to fluctuations due to relatively small numbers.

A very small proportion of fires resulted in a fire-related fatality in the year ending June 2023: 264 out of the 66,251 primary fires (0.40%). This proportion is similar to the previous year, when there were 247 fires with a fire-related fatality, out of the 63,804 primary fires (0.39%).

In the year ending June 2023, there were 284 fire-related fatalities compared with 271 in the previous year. This is the third year-on-year increase, up from 234 in the year ending June 2020, however it should be noted that the figures for the years ending June 2020 and 2021 were impacted by COVID-19 and the associated restrictions. The increases during this period were predominantly driven by increases in fatalities at dwelling fires. The number of fatalities in the year ending June 2023 was slightly higher than the pre-pandemic figure of 266 in the year ending June 2019.

In the quarter April to June 2023, there were 80 fire-related fatalities compared with 61 in the same quarter in the previous year. This increase was predominantly driven by increases in fire-related fatalities at dwelling fires, which increased from 43 to 52, and road vehicle fires, which increased from 8 to 15.

Fire-related fatalities in dwelling fires are the largest category, accounting for 77% of fire-related fatalities. For the year ending June 2023, there were 218 fire-related fatalities in dwelling fires, an increase of 5.3% compared with 207 in the previous year.

There were 4 fire-related fatalities in purpose-built high-rise (10 or more storeys) flats or maisonettes in the year ending June 2023. FRSs attended 726 fires in such flats or maisonettes, of which there were 4 fatal fires. This compares to 1 fire-related fatality in 1 fatal fire in the previous year.

There were 119 fire-related fatalities in single occupancy houses in the year ending June 2023, the same number as in the previous year. These fatalities occurred in 109 fatal fires, compared with 104 the previous 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 was “not known” are included in “fire-related”.

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 IRS in 2009, and since then the “hospital slight” and “first aid” categories have shown the biggest decline.

In the year ending June 2023, there were 6,240 non-fatal casualties, similar to the previous year (6,212). The 4 sub-categories were as follows:

  • 574 hospital severe casualties, an increase of 2.5% compared with the previous year and the third successive year-on-year increase
  • 2,168 hospital slight casualties, an increase of 13% compared with the previous year
  • 1,658 first aid casualties, a decrease of 13% compared with the previous year
  • 1,840 precautionary check casualties, similar to the previous year

Figure 5.2: Total non-fatal casualties in fires by injury severity, England; year ending June 2013 to year ending June 2023

Source: FIRE0502

Notes:

  1. 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 year ending March 2022 can be found in ‘Detailed analysis of fire response times’.

Key results

In the year ending June 2023:

  • the average total response time to primary fires[footnote 7] in England was 9 minutes and 16 seconds, the longest average response time seen since comparable statistics became available; Source: FIRE1001
  • the average response time to primary fires increased by 25 seconds on the previous year; Source: FIRE1001
  • the average total response time to secondary fires[footnote 8] in England increased by 42 seconds, compared with the previous year, to 9 minutes and 52 seconds; Source: FIRE1001

The increase in the year ending June 2023 on the year ending June 2022 is likely due in part to the increased number of incidents in 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).

Looking at the long-term trend, response times to fires have increased gradually between the year ending March 1995 (when this data was first collected) and the year ending March 2015. Response times appeared to have 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). There was a decrease in the average response time to primary fires in the year ending March 2021, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, response times have generally increased year-on-year.

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

Source: FIRE1001

All primary fires

The average response time to all fire incident categories in the year ending June 2023 was the longest average response time seen since comparable statistics became available.

The average response time to primary fires was 9 minutes and 16 seconds, in the year ending June 2023. This was:

  • an increase of 25 seconds compared with the previous year (8 minutes and 52 seconds)
  • an increase of 37 seconds compared with 5 years ago (8 minutes and 40 seconds)
  • an increase of 1 minute 10 seconds compared with 10 years ago (8 minutes and 7 seconds)

Dwelling fires

The average response time to dwelling fires was 8 minutes and 2 seconds, in the year ending June 2023. This was:

  • an increase of 10 seconds compared with the previous year (7 minutes and 53 seconds)
  • an increase of 14 seconds compared with 5 years ago (7 minutes and 49 seconds)
  • an increase of 37 seconds compared with 10 years ago (7 minutes and 25 seconds)

Within the dwelling fire category, in the year ending June 2023:

  • the average response time to fires in purpose-built flats/maisonettes was 7 minutes and 12 seconds, an increase of 4 seconds compared with the previous year
  • the average response time to fires in houses and bungalows was 8 minutes and 34 seconds, an increase of 12 seconds compared with the previous year
  • the average response time to fires in other dwellings was 7 minutes and 57 seconds, an increase of 13 seconds compared with the previous year

The faster average response time to fires in flats may reflect the fact that flats are generally in urban locations, 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 9 minutes and 1 second, in the year ending June 2023. This was:

  • an increase of 12 seconds compared with the previous year (8 minutes and 50 seconds)
  • an increase of 32 seconds compared with 5 years ago (8 minutes and 30 seconds)
  • an increase of 1 minute 8 seconds compared with 10 years ago (7 minutes and 53 seconds)

Within the other building fire category, in the year ending June 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 23 seconds, a decrease of 2 seconds compared with the previous year
  • the average response time to fires in non-residential buildings was 9 minutes and 6 seconds, an increase of 14 seconds compared with the previous year

The increase in 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 vehicle fires was 10 minutes and 4 seconds, in the year ending June 2023. This was:

  • an increase of 13 seconds compared with the previous year (9 minutes and 52 seconds)
  • an increase of 26 seconds compared with 5 years ago (9 minutes and 38 seconds)
  • an increase of 52 seconds compared with 10 years ago (9 minutes and 12 seconds)

Primary outdoor fires

The average response time to other outdoor fires was 12 minutes and 37 seconds, in the year ending June 2023. This was:

  • an increase of 1 minute 22 seconds compared with the previous year (11 minutes and 15 seconds)
  • an increase of 1 minute 46 seconds compared with 5 years ago (10 minutes and 51 seconds)
  • an increase of 2 minutes 51 seconds compared with 10 years ago (9 minutes and 46 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 June 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 increased by 40% from the previous year, reflecting the hot dry summer of 2022.

Secondary fires

The average response time to secondary fires was 9 minutes and 52 seconds, in the year ending June 2023. This was:

  • an increase of 42 seconds compared with the previous year (9 minutes and 10 seconds)
  • an increase of 41 seconds compared with 5 years ago (9 minutes and 11 seconds)
  • an increase of 1 minute 21 seconds compared with 10 years ago (8 minutes and 32 seconds)

The increase in the average response time to secondary fires might reflect an increase of 18% 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 June 2023 with 1, 5 and 10 years previously

Incident type Year ending June 2023 Year ending June 2022 1-year change Year ending Jun 2018 5-year change Year ending Jun 2013 10-year change
All incidents 621,552 585,139 +6.2% 559,207 +11% 525,014 +18%
Fires 173,872 154,877 +12% 160,467 +8.4% 165,114 +5.3%
Primary fires 66,251 63,804 +3.8% 72,708 -8.9% 75,391 -12%
Dwelling fires 26,491 26,974 -1.8% 30,576 -13% 33,350 -21%
Accidental dwelling fires 23,773 24,229 -1.9% 27,378 -13% 29,762 -20%
Outdoor primary fires 7,035 5,042 +40% 5,129 +37% 4,926 +43%
Secondary fires 105,092 88,738 +18% 83,833 +25% 82,192 +28%
Fire false alarms 246,581 233,533 +5.6% 227,282 +8.5% 229,285 +7.5%
Non-fire incidents 201,099 196,729 +2.2% 171,458 +17% 130,615 +54%
Fatalities and non-fatal casualties Year ending June 2023 Year ending June 2022 1-year change Year ending Jun 2018 5-year change Year ending Jun 2013 10-year change
Fire-related fatalities 284 271 +4.8% 251 +13% 282 +0.7%
Fire-related fatalities in dwellings 218 207 +5.3% 179 +22% 226 -3.5%
Non-fatal casualties 6,240 6,212 +0.5% 7,056 -12% 8,426 -26%
Non-fatal casualties requiring hospital treatment 2,742 2,487 +10% 3,115 -12% 3,794 -28%
Non-fatal casualties in dwellings 4,566 4,653 -1.9% 5,296 -14% 6,665 -31%

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

Fire type Year ending June 2023 Year ending June 2022 1-year change Year ending Jun 2018 5-year change Year ending Jun 2013 10-year change
Primary fires 9m 16s 8m 52s +25s 8m 40s +37s 8m 7s +1m 10s
Dwellings 8m 2s 7m 53s +10s 7m 49s +14s 7m 25s +37s
Other buildings 9m 1s 8m 50s +12s 8m 30s +32s 7m 53s +1m 8s
Road vehicles 10m 4s 9m 52s +13s 9m 38s +26s 9m 12s +52s
Other outdoors 12m 37s 11m 15s +1m 22s 10m 51s +1m 46s 9m 46s +2m 51s
Secondary fires 9m 52s 9m 10s +42s 9m 11s +41s 8m 32s +1m 21s

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 [email protected].

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 June 2023. This includes incident records that were submitted to the IRS by 25 August 2023, when a snapshot of the database was taken for the purpose of analysis. As a snapshot of the dataset was taken on 25 August 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 June 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.

Duty to collaborate legislation

The start of the increase in collaborating incidents 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.”

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:

  • 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 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. The smaller non-fire incident types which do not fit neatly within the other main categories are grouped together in the ‘Other non-fire incident’ category (see table FIRE0901 for data on all specific non-fire incident types). ↩

  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 number of fire related fatalities in the year ending March 2016, see the ‘Fire statistics monitor: April 2015 to March 2016’. ↩

  6. For more information on the Grenfell Tower fire and how the associated fire-related fatalities figures are recorded, see the ‘Fire statistics definitions’ document. ↩

  7. 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. ↩

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

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