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FIRE SAFETY
COMMUNITY FIRE SAFETY
103. The co-ordinated approach being taken to improving fire safety in Scotland has resulted in a measurable reduction in accidental fires and fire casualties and all Fire and Rescue Services are now effectively contributing to: -
- Crime and antisocial behaviour reduction;
- Accident and injury prevention;
- Health improvement and community well-being.
Home Fire Safety Visits
104. Supported by Scottish Government media advertising and promotion, home fire safety visits have increased and also become better targeted at those most in need. Programmed Home Fire Safety Visits raise awareness of fire safety, increase smoke detector ownership and, more importantly, build positive relationships between local fire crews and the communities they protect. Recent marketing research indicates that people appreciate and take heed of safety advice from local fire crews and Fire and Rescue Services are actively working in partnership with local services and agencies to add value to these visits.
Alcohol and substance misuse
105. In support of Fire and Rescue Services prevention activities, media research and national advertising for the first time focused upon the direct link between fire and alcohol. Whilst it is too early to evaluate results it is apparent that consumption of alcohol and addiction issues are a significant contributory factor to high levels of fire, fire crime and fire casualties in Scotland.
Working with young people
106. The National Youth Development Plan was launched on 27 th November 2006 and with support from key agencies and services Scottish Fire and Rescue Services have improved their ability to work effectively with children and young people.
When setting out the Youth Development Plan the following objectives were identified:
- Support young people and the interests of young people at local level;
- Build capacity to work more effectively with young people;
- Improve the health, safety and welfare of young people;
- Achieve a reduction in operational demand for Fire and Rescue Services; and
- Do so by means of positive interaction with young people and effective partnerships with local and national youth service providers.
Road accident prevention work
107. Fire and Rescue Services have now been accepted as having a legitimate stake in road safety education and prevention. In partnership with Police, Road Safety Officers, Rospa and Road Safety Scotland, nominated Fire and Rescue Service staff have undertaken awareness training and are now contributing to the road safety agenda in Scotland. The professionalism and quality of road safety intervention programmes that personnel are delivering has resulted in national recognition and awards being received by Fire and Rescue Services.
Non-accidental fire and emergency attendances
108. The extent and nature of non-accidental operational attendances continues to be a cause for concern and represents a substantial ongoing cost to Fire and Rescue Services, communities and businesses. In particular, opportunistic fire setting and fire related antisocial behaviour continues to account for an unacceptably high proportion of emergency fire responses. The high incidence of fire crime, fire related vandalism and malicious mischief severely depletes operational fire cover placing communities and firefighters at unnecessary risk.
109. Deliberate fire damage also has a high visual impact within communities and is a signal indicator of high crime and social breakdown. Within many high density housing areas, fire setting has become almost socially acceptable and very often goes unreported. As with most low-level crime if fire setting is tolerated and goes unchallenged the frequency and severity increases until a major fire involving a school, community resource or business premises is inevitably the end result.
110. Fire and Rescue personnel are increasingly subjected to hostility, harassment or intimidation whilst attending non-accidental emergency incidents. Therefore reducing deliberate secondary fires would minimise exposure of Fire and Rescue Service employees to potential violence.
111. Antisocial behaviour legislation, policy, guidance and funding together with a requirement for Police and Local Authorities (in consultation with others) to prepare action plans and outcome agreements, provides a framework within which fire setting and other forms of fire related antisocial behaviour can be reduced.
112. Positive initiatives such as robust call challenging, blocking mobile phones via service providers, issue of DNA testing kits to aid detection and prosecution of offenders have capped or controlled increases in some types of fire related crime and ASB.
113. Operational fire cover is also adversely affected by repeated false alarms emanating from automatic fire detection and warning systems. The number of such systems has increased but despite improved reliability of modern automatic fire installations many premises have problematic systems and some buildings experience deliberate actuation. Similar to fire setting within communities, in certain types of premises high levels of nuisance false alarms are tolerated by management and in the case of deliberate actuation often no proactive premises management or reporting to police takes place.
114. Reducing false alarms is a priority for all Fire and Rescue Services and changes in Fire Legislation now provides the means to take enforcement action to require the upgrading of unreliable or problematic systems. Similarly the crime reduction and antisocial behaviour framework now provides the tools to better manage deliberate or nuisance actuations.
115. Pro-active enforcement is a proven deterrent and Community Safety Partnership priorities and subsequent allocation of resources is primarily data and operational intelligence based. Therefore the continued non-reporting of fire crime, vandalism, and ASB may be undermining preventative work.
116. However, there are now some excellent examples of pro-active reporting, data exchange and joint working that have positively impacted upon levels of fire related antisocial behaviour within communities.
117. Notwithstanding that more can be done to reduce levels of operational demand, the continued fall in accidental fires and fire casualties in Scotland has attracted international interest. Fire and Rescue Services and community safety partners should be justifiably proud of the significant improvements in fire safety that have been achieved.
BUILDING STANDARDS
School buildings
118. Fires in schools often result in significant cost in terms of damage and disruption, this includes damage to records and work and educational and community facilities being unusable. Automatic fire suppression systems can be an effective means of asset protection in schools, particularly those schools which are at greater risk from deliberate fire raising
119. In respect of fire, building regulations have traditionally centred on life safety issues rather than asset protection. Against this background, the Scottish Building Standards Agency commissioned research into the benefits of introducing automatic fire detection and suppression systems into new school building in Scotland. This research involves a cost benefit analysis taking into account not only life safety but also asset provision, direct, environmental and community costs.
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