Ministerial Report
To: Senator I. Le Marquand, Minister for Home Affairs
Cc: Senator L. Farnham, Assistant Minister for Home Affairs
Steven Austin-Vautier, Chief Officer, Home Affairs
From: Chief Fire Officer – States of Jersey Fire & Rescue Service
Date: 5th June 2014
Subject: Fire and Rescue Service Annual Review 2013
1. Purpose
1.1 The purpose of this report is to advise the Minister of the completion of the Service’s Annual Review for 2013 and to provide a summary of the Service’s performance in 2013.
2. Incidents Statistics
2.1 Unfortunately 2013 saw a slight increase in many of the Service’s response activities. Although emergency incidents attended by the Service are, in general terms at their lowest in over four decades this downward trend has slowed and in some areas, is showing a short term reverse.
2.2 In 2013 the Service responded to 1,186 incidents, a slight increase on 1,067 incidents attended in 2012. The total number of fires in 2013 also increased slightly to 244 compared to 233 in 2012. This is mainly attributed to an increase in the number of furze and countryside fires during the hot summer.
2.3 There were 56 house fires in 2013 which is a slight increase compared to the 51 in 2012. Tragically, in 2013 we dealt with the first fire-related death in the last 5 years. We also rescued 13 people from fires in 2013 which is one more than 2012.
Headline Fire Statistics Measured Quarterly
2.4 The number of people injured in dwelling fires also increased slightly from 12 to 14 in 2013. This was the highest number over the five year period and when bench-marked against the UK this number is significantly higher than the 8.2 fire casualties per 100,000 population that they deal with.
2.5 The Service attended 507 false fire alarms in 2013. This was lowest number of false fire alarms attendances in the last 10 years. A new policy to reduce the number of false fire alarms attended by the Service resulted in a non-attendance at 255 fire alarm actuations in 2013.
2.6 The Service’s rescue role continues to be a busy area. In 2013, the Service attended 397 Emergency Special Services’ (non-fire incidents that threatens life or damage), a 24.5% increase on the 319 incidents attended in 2012. This was mainly due to the large number of calls received during the snow storms in the early part of the year and an increase in the number of water rescue incidents during the summer.
2.7 The number of Road Traffic Accidents continued to fall in 2013, with the Service only attending 49 incidents. This is lowest number by far in the last 5 years.
2.8 2013 was also a very busy year for our inshore rescue boats which launched 37 times compared to 13 in 2012 and is the highest number of launches in the past five years. Our inshore rescue boats (IRB) were the busiest Search and Rescue vessels in Jersey in 2013. One of the main reasons for our intervention was persons cut off by the incoming tide. We rescued a total of 22 people. The Service also attended 2 cliff rescue incidents rescuing 3 people in 2013.
3. Reducing risk in the community
3.1 In 2013 the Service implemented a project to reform existing fire safety legislation which has been in place since the 1970s and was seen as restrictive and out of date. Amendments to existing fire safety legislation which came into force on the 1st January 2013 made it a statutory requirement for all Houses of Multiple Occupation to have a Fire Certificate and for all Fire Certificates to be valid for only three years. This has significantly increased the workload of our small Fire Protection Team, who has risen to the challenge and processed 190 requests for a new Fire Certificate in 2013
3.2 The Service carried out 189 Home Fire Safety Visits in 2013 installing 200 smoke detectors. A further 300 smoke detectors were installed by the Home Energy Efficiency Service under a partnership to integrate home fire safety into their Home Energy Scheme.
3.3 The Jersey Annual Social Survey (JASS) 2013 identified that just under one in ten (9%) households did not have a smoke detector in their home, a proportion unchanged since 2007. One in ten (10%) households with a smoke detector ‘never’ checked that it was working properly, whilst another sixth (18%) checked their smoke detector less often than a few times a year. Only one in four households (24%) checked their smoke detectors at least monthly.
3.4 Despite the high level of smoke detector ownership in Jersey, of the 56 house fires attended in 2013, only 43% had smoke alarms which alerted the occupants. These figures show a decline in smoke alarm effectiveness compared to 2012 when 51% had working smoke alarms and 2011 when 57% of fires attended had working smoke alarms. This demonstrates the need to keep promoting the value of having working smoke alarms in the home.
3.5 In 2013 the Service introduced a carbon monoxide safety programme. This included installing carbon monoxide detectors in homes at risk and setting up a partnership with the Ambulance Service and Family Nursing whose staff, along with firefighters, now carry carbon monoxide monitors when attending emergency calls and carrying out routine visits to homes in Jersey. The Service supported Carbon Monoxide Safety Week and distributed posters in key locations around the Island.
3.6 The States of Jersey Fire & Rescue Services compares very favourably when measured against the eight Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which are used to judge and compare the performance of individual Fire and Rescue Services in the UK. SJFRS performance is higher than the national average for seven of the eight indicators.
4. Recommendations
4.1 The Minister is recommended to note the contents of the Service Annual Review 2013 and to instruct the Chief Fire Officer to arrange for publication of the report.
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