PURPOSE OF REPORT

To provide Members with information relating to North Wales Fire and Rescue Service activity, and performance against improvement and well-being objectives during the first three quarters of the 2020/21 reporting year.

SUMMARY

The Service attended 3,600 emergency incidents during the first three quarters of 2020/21. This was slightly fewer than in the same three quarters of 2019/20, reflecting reductions in road traffic collisions (RTCs) and deliberate fires, but also an increase in small outdoor fires.

The reduction in RTCs can be attributed to fewer vehicles on the roads during lockdowns. Interestingly, however, the percentage of those RTCs where the Service was called upon to extricate or release people from vehicles remained consistent with previous years, at 37%.

The reduction in deliberate fires combines the continuation of a steady downward trend in deliberate primary fires achieved over the past five years with a 36% reduction in deliberate secondary fires. However, calls to small fires in gardens and loose rubbish during lockdowns contributed to a 39% increase in accidental secondary fires.

RECOMMENDATION

That Members note the contents of the performance monitoring report.

INFORMATION

All incidents

During the first three quarters of 2020/21 the Service attended 3,600 emergency incidents and false alarms – 3.7% fewer than in the same period in 2019/20.

Fires
The Service attended 1,408 fires between April and December 2020, compared with 1,499 fires between April and December 2019. This overall total comprised 629 primary fires, 690 secondary fires and 88 chimney fires.

Although fewer primary fires were recorded in both deliberate and accidental categories, this was not the case for secondary fires. For these predominantly smaller, outdoor fires, there was a 36% reduction in those started deliberately but a 39% increase in those that had started accidentally.

False alarms
The Service attended 1,777 false alarms during the reporting period – slightly more than in the same months in 2019, but within the total there was a small reduction (from 934 to 916) in the incidence of false alarms caused by automatic fire alarm systems.

Special service (non-fire) incidents
The Service attended 416 non-fire emergency incidents during the first three quarters of this financial year, compared with 487 in the first three quarters of last financial year. These included 81 RTCs, 37% of which involved extrication or release of people. During the same months last year the Service attended 144 RTCs (43.8% more), with the same percentage involving extrications or releases.

Accidental fires in dwellings (ADFs)
The Service attended 283 ADFs - fifteen more than in the first three quarters of 2019/20. These ADFs resulted in nineteen people sustaining slight injuries, two sustaining serious injuries and four people losing their lives (the final number of deaths will be subject to coroners’ verdicts).

Safe and Well Checks
9,064 Safe and Well Checks were completed during the period, of which 3,039 (34%) were in response to a referral from a partner agency.

Smoke/heat detectors
The majority (84%) of residential dwellings that the Service attended in response to a fire had at least one smoke/heat detector fitted. However, the remaining 16% had no detectors present.

Appendix 1 provides further information and comparisons against the same three quarters in previous years.
IMPLICATIONS

Well-being Objectives
Helps the Authority to monitor its performance against the improvement and well-being objectives set in the combined improvement and well-being plan 2020/21.
Budget
Helps to highlight any potential impacts on budget due to unanticipated incident activity.
Legal
Assists the Authority with ensuring that there are sufficient resources to meet the altering demands placed on it with changes in incident activity.
Staffing
No implication identified.
Equalities/Human Rights/ Welsh Language
No implication identified.
Risks
Not satisfying legal requirements to report on and monitor performance that may impact on the ability to ensure that there are sufficient resources to meet demand.