Accidental house fires down by 10%, review finds

The service said it had exceeded its targets

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service has exceeded response targets and contributed to a 10% reduction in accidental house fires in the past year, a review has found.

The results were shared as part of its yearly Service Performance Review, unveiled at its annual general meeting (AGM) on 12 June.

It comes just months after an independent review found a culture of misogyny and sexism within the fire service.

The chief fire officer said the latest results showed that despite a challenging year, staff had gone "above and beyond to help their communities".

Fire chief Ben Ansell said it had been a "challenging" year

The annual report noted there had been up to 20 investigations into staff discipline.

However, the report also highlighted its 7,700 visits to vulnerable members of the community, which it said had contributed to a 10% reduction in accidental house fires.

It said its average response time from picking up a 999 call to being at a property where someone could be asleep, was 9 minutes 31 seconds - against a target of 10 minutes.

Chief fire officer Ben Ansell said: "It has been a busy and challenging year for the organisation, but staff across the service have and continue to go above and beyond to help their communities.

"We continue to operate in a challenging financial climate, and we are now faced with some serious and difficult decisions in order to maintain a balanced budget.

"The fantastic staff we have are vital to ensuring we keep our communities safe, whether at home, at work or on our roads.

"I look forward to working with, and for... all members of the Fire and Rescue Authority to ensure we do our utmost to build on the great work that our wonderful staff continue to deliver."