Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service attended 481 primary fires in its latest reporting year, compared with 3,674 at West Midlands Fire Service. Fatalities and non-fatal casualties from primary fires totalled 23 for Northumberland and 743 for West Midlands.
Average time from call to first appliance at a dwelling fire is 10:19 in Northumberland and 6:25 in West Midlands. Response times differ by several minutes, often reflecting geography — larger rural coverage areas mean longer average travel to incidents. On enforcement activity, West Midlands carried out the larger number of fire safety audits over the year (1,552 vs 1,116). Satisfactory-outcome rates were 29% for Northumberland and 57% for West Midlands, covering audits that closed without requiring informal action, formal notice, or prohibition.
Total Fires
Primary fires attended by fire and rescue services
481
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service
3,674
West Midlands Fire Service
Fatalities & Casualties
Deaths and non-fatal casualties from primary fires
23
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service
743
West Midlands Fire Service
False Alarm Rate
Proportion of all incidents that were false alarms
36%
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service
36%
West Midlands Fire Service
Fire Safety Audits
Number of fire safety audits conducted by the authority
1,116
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service
1,552
West Midlands Fire Service
Audit Outcomes
Results of fire safety audits: satisfactory, informal action, formal action
1,062
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service total
1,550
West Midlands Fire Service total
Average Response Time
Average time from call to first appliance arriving at dwelling fires
