Agenda item

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer presented the meeting with a report on Comparative Fire Rescue Service Data.

 

Historically, since 2000, at the final Performance Committee of each financial year, the Measuring Progress report would be accompanied by a comparative performance analysis of other Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) which was formed upon historic ‘Family Groups’ and enabled Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) to demonstrate to the Committee how the Service was performing against other FRSs on a small number of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

 

As the fire sector evolved, the use of Family Groups slowly diminished as had the value of their use in effectively comparing FRS with FRS. The position had been further weakened by new FRSs joining Family Groups that they were not originally intended to be placed within.

 

During the Performance Committee on 16 March 2022 (resolution 24-20/21 – Review of Family Group Comparative Information), Area Manager Mark Hutton proposed that future Family Group analysis could involve data that looked beyond the Family Group, taken from other national databases that the Service now had access to, and which could offer a broader and more suitable comparison than the current arrangements.

 

Since that time, the Service had compiled a report comparing a selection of key LFRS activity against other Fire and Rescue Services in the country, using information published by the Home Office on National Fire Service Activity.

 

On a quarterly basis, the Home Office published a rolling 12-month update on National Fire Service activity, with the latest release being termed as year ending June 2024 which meant the 12-month period to the end of quarter one.

 

The report compared a selection of key LFRS activity against other Fire and Rescue Services in the country, along with the current LFRS position and trend.

 

Selected metrics:

1.     Total incidents.

2.     Dwelling fires.

3.     Dwelling fire casualties.

4.     Non-domestic building fires.

5.     Assist other agencies.

6.     RTCs attended.

 

A table was included in the report which indicated if a Service was classed as Predominantly Urban, Significantly Rural or Predominantly Rural: Lancashire was classified as Predominantly Urban. These classifications allowed for a relatable comparison with FRSs that shared the same characteristics as LFRS.

 

LFRS had one of the higher incident levels of the total 44 Fire Services in England, ranking 8^th as the 12-month period to June 2024. LFRS also had greater activity than a number of the metropolitan Services and the highest activity of a predominantly Urban, non-metropolitan Service.

 

With decreasing numbers of fire incidents, and increasing non-fire incidents, the proportion of incidents recorded as non-fire incidents had surpassed the count of fire incidents for the first time. Fire false alarms continued to account for the largest proportion.

 

Whilst overall activity had been increasing over the last ten years, the latest 12-month period had shown a reduction within LFRS and across the majority of other FRSs.

 

There had been a notable decreasing in dwelling fires attended, and a smaller, if fluctuating, decrease in the resultant domestic fire casualties. It was a similar view with fires in non-domestic properties which had been in a slight overall decline.

 

These were offset by large increases in assist other agency incidents. A similar trend was seen nationally, with LFRS recording the largest number outside of Greater London. Road traffic collisions had been steadily trending upwards.

 

1. Total Incidents

 

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service attended 16,903 incidents during year ending June 2024, against and England FRS average of 11,016. Greater London (131,664), and Isles of Scilly (47), were both excluded from the average due to recording very high/low counts.

 

Over the past decade, the number of incidents attended by LFRS had been on a gradual upward trend, with activity increasing 40.7% since the 13,906 incidents in 2014 to the 19,563 recorded in 2023. However, in the latest year ending June 2024, there had been 16,903 attended incidents, a decrease of 13.6% over the previous year.

 

This followed a similar national trend, although the decrease within Lancashire was larger than the average 4.6% seen nationally.

 

The share of incidents between incident types had changed over the past decade, with an increasing share of incidents being non-fire incidents over recent years. Fire incidents had steadily been decreasing and there had been a reduction in false alarms during more recent years.

 

For the year ending June 2024, the share of fire incidents was 24.4%, the lowest since comparable data became available, with non-fire incidents accounting for 30.9% and fire false alarms, 44.7%. In 2014, the split was: Fire 38.0%, non-fire 17.9% and false alarms 44.1%.

 

Lancashire was classified as predominantly urban and had the highest total incident count within a non-metropolitan Service, predominantly urban Service (year ending June 2024).

 

2. Domestic Fires

 

LFRS attended 757 dwelling fire incidents during year ending June 2024, against and England FRS average of 490. Greater London (4,668), and Isles of Scilly (0), were both excluded from the average.

 

To the year ending June 2024, dwelling fires attended by LFRS had reduced from 1,601 in 2014 to 757 in the latest period, a reduction of 28.7%. This was a greater reduction than that seen across all other Fire and Rescue Services (average), which saw an 18.8% decreased over the same period.

 

3. Dwelling Fire Casualties

 

There were 55 casualties requiring hospital treatment from dwelling fire incidents during the year ending June 2024, against an England FRS average of 36. Greater London (485), and the Isles of Scilly (0), were both excluded from the average.

 

To the year ending June 2024, there had been 55 casualties requiring hospital treatment from dwelling fire incidents by LFRS. These had reduced by 21.4% from the 70 recorded in 2014. This was a slightly smaller reduction than that seen across all other Fire and Rescue Services (average), which saw a 25.5% decrease over the same period.

 

4. Non-Domestic Building Fires

 

LFRS attended 358 non-domestic building fire incidents during the year ending June 2024, against an England FRS average of 209. Greater London (1,504), and Isles of Scilly (0) were both excluded from the average.

 

Fires in non-domestic properties attended by LFRS decreased by 11.8% from the 406 recorded in 2014. This was a smaller reduction than that seen across all other Fire and Rescue Services, which saw a 15% decrease over the same period.

 

5. Assist Other Agencies

 

LFRS attended 1,724 assist other agency incidents during the year ending June 2024, against and England FRS average of 578. Approximately 50% of assist other agency incidents were to gain entry to a domestic property on behalf of the ambulance or police. Greater London (4,626), and Isles of Scilly (2) were both excluded from the average.

 

To the year ending June 2014, assist other agency incidents attended by LFRS had seen large increases, with 1,724 recorded in the latest period, from a low 115 in 2014, an increase of 1,399.1%. This was a significantly larger increase than that seen across all other Fire and Rescue Services, which still saw a significant 529.9% increase over the same period.

 

6. Road Traffic Collisions (RTCs) Attended

 

LFRS attended 662 road traffic collision incidents during the year ending June 2024, against an England FRS average of 658. Greater London (4,626), and Isles of Scilly (2), were both excluded from the average due to recording very high/low counts.

 

To the year ending June 2024 Road Traffic Collision incidents attended by LFRS have seen relatively small increases, with 662 recorded in the latest period, from 512 in 2014, an increase of 29.3%. This was a larger increase that that seen across all other Fire and Rescue Services (average), which saw a 9.8% increase over the same period.

 

County Councillor Clifford stated that, for the last 10 years, the number of incidents that LFRS attended had gradually increased but was now beginning to decrease, and he asked if that was due to a growing population. The Assistant Chief Fire Officer explained that there were many factors such as the establishment of new types of collaboration work and increasing demand that this had created.

 

County Councillor Salter highlighted that, on Page 110 if the agenda pack, the number of ‘Assist other agencies’ incidents that LFRS attended was higher than that of most other FRSs and asked if that was indicative of the good relationship LFRS had with other agencies. The Assistant Chief Officer stated that it was a positive relationship and, when crews were not attending emergency incidents, they had delivered improved outcomes for the public. The Service had a statutory duty to collaborate with other Blue Light Services which led to the establishment of the Blue Light Collaboration Board (BLCB). LFRS played a strong role in operational work in terms of collaboration.

 

County Councillor Hennessy felt that the positive relationship with other Blue Light Services came from good leadership which was fed down by the Chief Fire Officer and took years to develop.

 

The Chair gave thanks to Jon Charters for his work in the role of the Assistant Chief Fire Officer and wished him well in his role as Chief Fire Officer in the new year.

 

County Councillor Hurn thanked Jon Charters for his assistance in his time as Chair of the Committee.

 

Jon Charters advised that he had enjoyed leading the Performance Committee. There had been some good conversations which he had hoped the Members had found useful. There was a lot of detail in the meeting, but he favoured transparency and assisting Members to understand the work of the Service which he hoped led to better scrutiny and governance. He would assist the new Assistant Chief Fire Officer with the Performance Committee in the early stages.

 

Resolved: - That the Performance Committee noted the information provided in the Comparative Fire Service Data Report and endorsed the new format in which the Service provided comparative performance data.