'Extraordinary' weekend blamed as Shropshire fire service likely to miss arrival time target

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service’s targets for 2019-20 include having an engine and four-person crew arrive at the scene of an emergency “within 15 minutes on 89 per cent of occasions”.

A report for a fire authority committee said the rate from April to October stands at 85.3 per cent, having peaked at 86.8 per cent in August.

Chief Fire Officer Rod Hammerton and his deputy Andy Johnson wrote that the brigade received “nearly 20 times the normal number of calls” over the weekend of October 26-27.

Five other targets, to reduce accidental house fires, overall accidental fire numbers, arson incidents, fire-related casualties and staff injuries are “very likely” to be achieved, while another, about controlling property damage, is graded as “likely”.

Mr Hammerton and Mr Johnson said that, despite the “extraordinary” high-demand weekend, the brigade still maintained a 77 per cent success rate against the 15-minute standard throughout October.

“Although this has made the achievement of the annual target even more challenging, our staff should be congratulated for the enormous efforts they all put in to making sure that the risk to life across Shropshire was reduced as far as possible,” their report said.

“Members should also note that, during November, a boat crew from Shropshire, consisting of both on-duty and off-duty firefighters and officers, was also heavily involved in supporting South Yorkshire [Fire and Rescue] during the severe flooding event that impacted on the communities in and around Doncaster.”

Prevention

Elsewhere in the report, Mr Hammerton and Mr Johnson noted that Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service set itself a target of reducing the number of accidental domestic fires to fewer than 187 throughout 2019-20.

Their report said 106 have occurred this year so far, so concluded the brigade is “very likely” to meet that target, and praises some of the prevention and awareness work that went in to this.

“During October, the service carried out a campaign highlighting the risks from electric blankets," say the report.

“This resulted in 61 blankets being tested, with three completely failing the tests and another two warranting additional advice.

“The service is very conscious that as the cost of heating homes continues to rise, members of the public will look at alternative means of keeping warm, including the use of electric blankets.

“Over the coming weeks, the service will be raising awareness about the additional risks we all bring into our homes, over the Christmas break, due to families spending more time together at home.

“This includes advice on the safe use of indoor and outdoor lighting, leaving cooking unattended and the increased likelihood of electrical items being left on.”

Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority’s Standards, Audit and Performance Committee were due to discuss the report at the service’s Shrewsbury headquarters on Thursday.