Total Fires
Primary fires attended by fire and rescue services
1,131
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service
2,217
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
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Year ending 2025/09
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service attended 1,131 primary fires in its latest reporting year, compared with 2,217 at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service. Fatalities and non-fatal casualties from primary fires totalled 47 for County Durham and Darlington and 132 for Essex County.
Average time from call to first appliance at a dwelling fire is 8:18 in County Durham and Darlington and 9:24 in Essex County. Response times differ by roughly a minute or two. On enforcement activity, County Durham and Darlington carried out the larger number of fire safety audits over the year (4,064 vs 3,034). Satisfactory-outcome rates were 51% for County Durham and Darlington and 50% for Essex County, covering audits that closed without requiring informal action, formal notice, or prohibition. False alarms make up a notably larger share of call-outs in Essex County (42% vs 30%).
Primary fires attended by fire and rescue services
1,131
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service
2,217
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
Deaths and non-fatal casualties from primary fires
47
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service
132
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
Proportion of all incidents that were false alarms
30%
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service
42%
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
Number of fire safety audits conducted by the authority
4,064
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service
3,034
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
Results of fire safety audits: satisfactory, informal action, formal action
4,126
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service total
3,042
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service total
Average time from call to first appliance arriving at dwelling fires
8:18
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service
9:24
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
Proportion of incidents by response time band
100%
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service total
100%
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service total
Primary fires recorded as deliberate (arson)
3,934
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service
1,623
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service