Merseyside fire deaths at record low, says fire service

Merseyside fire teams work in the community to promote fire safety

The number of fire deaths in Merseyside has fallen to a record low, the fire service has said.

Annual figures showed record reductions in accidental home fires and only one fatality, a Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) spokesman said.

A decade ago, home fires killed 16 people each year in Merseyside.

Area Manager Mark Thomas, Head of Prevention at MFRS said the downturn was "without doubt" linked to the work of community prevention teams.

Accidental fires in the home had fallen 15% over the past year and 20% over a two-year period with the lowest number of fire deaths ever recorded, the fire service said.

"Our downturn in fires in the home is unprecedented across the UK and without doubt linked to the determination and professionalism of our Firefighters and Prevention Teams," Mr Thomas said.

"It is because of them, helped by the diligence of the public of Merseyside, that we have collectively been able to reduce the number of fires in the home, making sure more people stay alive and safe from fire."

In Merseyside in the last year there were 663 accidental fires in the home compared to 780 for the same period a year earlier, a MFRS spokesman said. Ten years ago the service said it responded to 1,153 such fires.

"In an average day, firefighters and prevention teams will visit 170 homes across Merseyside, giving fire safety advice to occupiers and fitting lifesaving smoke alarms for those people who are most vulnerable to fire," Area Manager Mark Thomas, Head of Prevention at MFRS said.

"By talking to people in their own homes and demonstrating what good fire safety looks like, our teams are making a hugely positive difference."

He said the service "will be relentless in our drive to reduce fire deaths to zero" and staff would continue to work with communities and partners "to find those who are most vulnerable, protect them and make sure we continue to drive down fires as much as possible".