Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service attended 836 primary fires in its latest reporting year, compared with 481 at Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service. Fatalities and non-fatal casualties from primary fires totalled 64 for Bedfordshire and 23 for Northumberland.
Average time from call to first appliance at a dwelling fire is 8:27 in Bedfordshire and 10:19 in Northumberland. Response times differ by several minutes, often reflecting geography — larger rural coverage areas mean longer average travel to incidents. On enforcement activity, Bedfordshire carried out the larger number of fire safety audits over the year (1,636 vs 1,116). Satisfactory-outcome rates were 77% for Bedfordshire and 29% for Northumberland, covering audits that closed without requiring informal action, formal notice, or prohibition. False alarms make up a notably larger share of call-outs in Bedfordshire (40% vs 36%).
Total Fires
Primary fires attended by fire and rescue services
836
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
481
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service
Fatalities & Casualties
Deaths and non-fatal casualties from primary fires
64
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
23
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service
False Alarm Rate
Proportion of all incidents that were false alarms
40%
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
36%
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service
Fire Safety Audits
Number of fire safety audits conducted by the authority
1,636
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
1,116
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service
Audit Outcomes
Results of fire safety audits: satisfactory, informal action, formal action
1,728
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service total
1,062
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service total
Average Response Time
Average time from call to first appliance arriving at dwelling fires
