Record year for fire service

SOUTH Yorkshire fire service has set a number of records for falls in emergency incidents, its performance figures for 2011-12 show.

Targeted prevention work to make local communities safer than ever before has led to a continuing fall in fires involving property.

But Chief Fire Officer Jamie Courtney is warning that an unfair level of further Government funding cuts to SYFR could threaten recent safety improvements.

The number of accidental house fires in South Yorkshire fell in 2011/12 to 618, from 647 the previous year.

The figure was over 1,000 eight years ago.

Cooking-related incidents continue to account for almost half of all accidental house fires.

Five people died, and 58 were injured, in those accidental house fires. The majority of the recorded injuries were a result of smoke inhalation.

The number of road traffic collisions attended by SYFR was down to an all-time low of 387, whilst the number of hoax calls attended was also the lowest ever, at 80.

Another record low was the number of arson incidents which involved property such as buildings and car, down to 1,046.

A dry summer meant arson fires involving grassland and rubbish were up to 5,079, but this remained the third-lowest total ever recorded by SYFR.

Mr Courtney said: “Fire services like ours were hit hard by the cuts for 2011-13. The second round of cuts will be announced in December.

"I am genuinely concerned that if the cuts fall unfairly on services like South Yorkshire again, the result will be the closure of fire stations and longer response times. The risk to local communities will increase.”

He thanked Wentworth MP John Healey, who helped the authority to urge the Government to consider the impact of further cuts on our work to make people safer.