Agenda item

The Chair welcomed Campaigns Officer, Zoe Scott and Group Manager, Community Protection Manager, Mark Warwick to provide the Committee with a presentation detailing the delivery of the Cooking Safety Campaign in July 2023 which aimed to reduce the number of cooking-related incidents by educating the public on safe practices and encouraging behaviour change. July was chosen as the month for the campaign due to a seasonal spike in incidents involving barbeques etc., and it aligned with the NFCC (National Fire Chiefs Council) campaign calendar.

 

Cooking related incidents continued to be the largest cause of Accidental Dwelling Fires (ADFs) (KPI 2.3) in Lancashire, with 317 reported incidents in 2023. Of the 317 fires in 2023 the significant causes were: distraction (152 cases); using the hob as a work surface (111 cases); and accumulation of fat and oil (32 cases). Casualties from kitchen-originated fires accounted for 38% of all fire-related injuries, with Blackpool experiencing the highest number of incidents.

 

There were a total number of 1058 incidents from 2021 – 2023 as follows:

-        2021 – 359 Incidents

-        2022 – 382 Incidents

-        2023 – 317 Incidents

 

From the incident data, the service was able to determine insight which included:

·       High-risk areas included Blackpool, Blackburn with Darwen, and Lancaster.

·       Ribble Valley had the highest ratio of cooking fires at 52% of total ADFs.

·       Key times for cooking related incidents was between 5-7pm.

 

The campaign was implemented in July after yearly incident data showed a peak in cooking fires.

 

The campaign objectives were to:

·       Reduce the number of overall cooking-related fires during the campaign period.

·       Increase audience engagement with campaign materials.

·       Change target audience behaviour, particularly reducing casualties from cooking-related fires.

 

The target audience was adults aged 18+ living in the highest risk areas – Blackpool, Blackburn with Darwen and Lancaster, and busy adults with young families.

 

The key messages were:

·       Fires won’t wait for your attention.

·       Stay there and cook it!

·       Never use your hob as an extension of the worktop.

·       Keep it clean, keep it clear – a build up of dirt or grease and items stored on top of a hob creates a significant fire risk.

·       Get out, stay out and call the fire service out.

 

A pre-campaign telephone survey was conducted in April, contacting 60 Lancashire residents who had a cooking related fire in the last three years, The survey aimed to gather more information about each incident such as:

·       Household profile – presence of children or pets.

·       Individual profile – age, gender, disability.

·       Use of kitchen appliances.

·       Distractions at the time of the fire.

·       Influence of alcohol or drugs.

·       Presence of a working smoke alarm.

 

Data from the survey found that 58% of respondents were not in sight of the fire when it started, and 59% admitted to watching tv, bathing or doing household chores when the fire ignited.

 

After investigating the incident data from the past few years, a recurring cause of cooking fires was busy parents distracted with homework or chores whilst cooking a meal, causing a fire. A radio advertisement on local station Hits Lancashire (formerly Rock FM) was chosen for the campaign due to its captive audience during the school run and rush hour traffic, aiming to target those busy families whilst they were actively listening. The 30 second advert portrayed a tired, busy mum, juggling family demands whilst cooking dinner, her concentrated had lapsed for a few seconds and a fire had ignited in the kitchen. The ad ended with the sound of flames and a fire alarm sounding. The scenario played out in real time which showed that it only took 30 seconds of distraction to start a fire. The audio for the radio campaign advert would not play in the meeting and Members noted that this would be sent to them outside of the meeting.

 

The first part of the campaign involved a competition to win a Ninja air fryer. To enter, members of the public had to answer three short questions about cooking practices. The entry process gave the participants the correct answers to questions to highlight the safest practices. The three questions were written using the campaign’s key messages, meaning the participants had to actively read and absorb the messaging to answer the questions.

 

The competition was well received and resulted in 5,635 entries which gave valuable insight into cooking habits and perceived acceptable behaviour across different age groups. This insight would be used in future campaigns to inform the key messages and target audiences. Members were informed that an entrant from Great Harwood won the competition and a message was sent to all those who entered the competition to notify them of the winner.

 

The following channels were used to share the content and key messages:

·       Social media platforms: Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Nextdoor.

·       Cooking safety page on the Service’s website (www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/cooking)

·       Media release to local news outlets.

·       Radio advert.

·       Paid advertising on Facebook.

 

In total, the campaign reached 1,178,149 people and generated 110,545 engagements (comments, shares, website clicks etc.). Social media posts about using the hob as a work surface sparked lots of engagement, with some people sharing their shock that people could “be so stupid,” and others sharing their own experiences of doing so and causing a fire.

 

5,635 people entered the competition and took part in the quiz which allowed the Service to promote the key safety messages and highlight unsafe practices. 356 people visited the cooking safety page on the website during the campaign period. Two news articles appeared in the local media.

 

The next steps were to build on insight gained from the campaign to further develop the picture of who was most at risk and the behaviours that contribute to fires, alongside analysing data at the end of the year.

 

The new risk profile would decide the key messaging for the next campaign. New creative materials would be designed using the new messaging which included a new video that focused on distractions in the kitchen.

 

In response to a question from County Councillor Hennessy regarding the Ribble Valley having the highest ratio of cooking fires (52%) of the total ADFs, Mark Warwick explained that the percentage was high due the overall number of accidental fire incidents for that area being very low which distorted the percentage figure. Members were informed that the Ribble Valley was included in the target audience.

 

County Councillor H Khan asked if the figures for the campaign included the BME community. Area Manager, Phil Jones confirmed that they were included and the insight from the campaign would inform next year’s campaign with focused information around Ramadan and hot oil cooking.

 

County Councillor H Khan mentioned that she had been on the radio to talk about the work of the Fire Service and found that many members of the BME community were not aware of the varying role of LFRS. Regarding Ramadan cooking fire safety, she would be collaborating with Community Safety Advisor, Faz Patel, to launch the campaign throughout Lancashire.

 

County Councillor Clifford stated that the campaign was very interesting, and he had shared the messages through his social media account, however, they did not have much interaction and asked if the Service was disappointed with the level of engagement. Zoe Scott advised that a previous Lithium Battery campaign competition to win an iPad received 1,000 entries so 5,635 people entering the air fryer competition was a sizable increase. The number of entrants was pleasing as they had to actively read key safety messages and answer questions with wrong answers being corrected and so the number of people who had processed the information was quite high.

 

County Councillor Clifford questioned whether the public may have thought that the chance to win an air fryer was a scam. Zoe Scott explained that there were very few comments about the competition being a scam, and there were none on Facebook.

 

County Councillor Hennessy suggested including Service personnel in the photographs for future campaign competitions so the public would know it was not a scam.

 

In response to a question from County Councillor O’Toole as to whether the work on campaigns was outsourced or conducted internally, Zoe Scott confirmed that the work was undertaken by the Service. Additionally, adhering to GDPR, the Service would collate some personal details which would be used to inform future campaigns and to target certain demographics.

 

County Councillor Clifford commented that in a bid to move away from chip pans, there had been a move to deep fat fryers with newer models having open tops which he felt was a flaw. Mark Warwick stated that the modern design was most probably due to costs. However, chip pan fires were now an exception, and many safety messages had been used to inform people of the dangers of using water on an oil fire.

 

The Chair remarked that he felt that food delivery services would have helped to reduce the number of cooking fires.

 

County Councillor Hennessy asked if every Fire Service had a Campaigns Officer. Mark Warwick believed that every Service had a campaigns calendar which would be followed, even if not a designated officer. Zoe Scott advised that, as a dedicated Campaigns Officer, she was able to focus solely on campaigns whereas some other Services may have a Communications Officer who would deal with campaigns as one aspect of their job.

 

The Chair thanked Campaigns Officer, Zoe Scott and Group Manager, Community Protection Manager, Mark Warwick for their extremely helpful presentation.

 

Resolved: - That the Performance Committee noted the report and presentation.