Fire and rescue services in England attend 600,000 incidents, fire-related deaths fall in 2024
Iain Hoey
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Total incidents increased while fires decreased
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published accredited statistics showing that fire and rescue services (FRSs) in England attended 600,185 incidents in the year ending December 2024.
This represents a 1.2% increase from 2023.
The figures show a long-term rise in total incidents, up 20% from 499,934 in 2014.
Fire incidents made up 23% of all attended incidents in 2024, the lowest proportion in a decade.
Fire false alarms accounted for 42% and non-fire incidents made up 35%.
These proportions have shifted significantly since 2014, when fires accounted for 31%, false alarms 44%, and non-fire incidents 26%.
Fire incidents at record low for year-end figures
In 2024, FRSs attended 136,702 fires, a 3.9% decrease from the previous year.
This is the lowest year-end total since current records began.
Primary fires, which include building fires and those with casualties, fell by 2.2% to 61,041.
Building fires, a major subset of primary fires, dropped 2.7% to 38,144.
Fires in high-rise residential buildings (10 or more storeys) fell by 0.9% to 697.
Outdoor fires showed continued sensitivity to weather patterns, with notable peaks during hot, dry summers.
Rise in non-fire incidents including medical and collaboration responses
Non-fire incidents rose to 211,631 in 2024, a 5.2% increase from 2023.
This marks the highest total since 2011 and a 65% rise compared to 2014.
Collaboration incidents, including assisting other agencies, increased by 11% and now account for 34% of non-fire incidents.
Medical incidents decreased by 6.3%, continuing a downward trend since the end of Emergency Medical Response trials in 2017.
Flooding and water rescue incidents rose by 2.2%.
Road traffic collisions increased by 1.5%.
False alarms continued to increase, led by apparatus errors
Fire false alarms reached 251,852 in 2024, up 0.8% from 2023.
This is the highest annual total since 2011.
Apparatus-related false alarms made up the majority, totalling 179,735, a 1.2% increase.
Calls made in good faith rose 0.9% to 66,232.
Malicious false alarms fell by 10% to 5,885, continuing a long-term decline.
Fire-related fatalities declined overall but rose in dwellings
There were 254 fire-related fatalities in 2024, down from 271 the previous year.
Of these, 199 occurred in dwelling fires, an increase of 1.5%.
Non-fatal casualties remained steady at 6,338.
Among these, 2,779 required hospital treatment, a slight increase of 0.5%.
Two fatal fires occurred in high-rise flats, resulting in two deaths, unchanged from the previous year.
Response times increased slightly for primary fires
The average response time for primary fires was 9 minutes and 4 seconds, up two seconds from the previous year.
Response times to dwelling fires increased to 8 minutes and 6 seconds.
For secondary fires, the average response time decreased by six seconds to 9 minutes and 18 seconds.
Other outdoor fires saw the largest response time at 11 minutes and 2 seconds, though this represented a 19-second improvement from 2023.
Long-term trends show shift in emergency response demands
Compared with 2014, total incidents attended have increased by 20%.
Over the same period, fires have decreased by 11%, and non-fire incidents have increased by 65%.
Fire false alarms have risen 15% since 2014, largely driven by apparatus-related triggers.
Medical incidents, once rising during the EMR trials, have fallen 25% since 2019.
Collaboration responses have trebled since 2015, following changes in legislation.
These figures reflect ongoing changes in the role of fire and rescue services beyond firefighting.
Fire and rescue services in England attend 600,000 incidents as fire-related deaths fall in 2024: Summary
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has reported that fire and rescue services in England attended 600,185 incidents in 2024.
This is an increase of 1.2% from the previous year and 20% from 2014.
Fires accounted for 136,702 incidents, a 3.9% decrease from 2023.
Primary fires fell by 2.2%, while secondary fires dropped by 5.1%.
Non-fire incidents increased to 211,631, up 5.2% year-on-year.
Fire false alarms rose 0.8% to 251,852, with most due to apparatus.
There were 254 fire-related fatalities, down 6.3% from 2023.
Dwelling fire deaths rose to 199.
Non-fatal casualties remained stable at 6,338.
Average response time for primary fires was 9 minutes and 4 seconds.