Home fire safety visits rise in England

The Home Office published its “Fire Prevention and Protection Statistics, England” for the year ending March 2024 on 22nd August 2024.

The report highlighted an increase in fire safety activities, with 598,342 home fire safety visits (HFSVs) carried out by fire and rescue services (FRSs) and their partners across England.

This marks an 11% rise compared to the previous year’s 537,003 visits.

The increase was largely due to targeted efforts towards vulnerable individuals.

A total of 481,739 of these visits were directed at people with at least one vulnerability, accounting for 81% of the total HFSVs conducted.

This is up from 75% the previous year.

Fire safety audits and outcomes

Fire safety audits in non-domestic premises revealed mixed outcomes.

A total of 49,835 audits were conducted in the year ending March 2024, slightly down from 50,424 in the previous year.

Of these, only 58% were deemed satisfactory, the lowest percentage recorded since 2011.

Shops represented the most common premises type for audits, with 9,541 conducted.

However, satisfactory audit rates varied, with only 64% of shops meeting required standards, while other premises types like care homes and licensed premises had even lower satisfactory rates.

Formal and informal fire safety notifications

In cases where audits found non-compliance, FRSs issued either formal or informal notifications.

The report noted that 18,076 informal notices were issued in 2024, marking a 7.1% increase from the previous year.

Formal notices also increased to 2,823, the highest figure since 2013, with enforcement notices making up 59% of these formal actions.

Enforcement notices were most commonly served to shops, followed by licensed premises and care homes.

Additionally, the report revealed a 79% rise in prosecutions related to fire safety violations.

Other fire safety activities

Aside from audits, FRSs were involved in a range of non-statutory fire safety activities, including consultations under building regulations.

However, the number of building regulation consultations fell by 4.7% to 45,465, compared to the previous year.

Despite this drop, there was a 7.2% increase in other consultations, totalling 26,236.

Non-statutory fire safety activities decreased by 14% from the previous year, but still represented a significant 41% rise compared to 2019.

Fire prevention and protection statistics England 2023-2024 released by Home Office: Summary

The Home Office released its annual Fire Prevention and Protection Statistics for England, covering April 2023 to March 2024.

The report revealed an 11% increase in home fire safety visits (HFSVs), totalling 598,342.

Of these, 81% were targeted at vulnerable individuals.

Fire safety audits dropped slightly to 49,835, with only 58% achieving satisfactory outcomes.

Formal and informal notifications saw increases, with 18,076 informal notices issued and 2,823 formal notices recorded.

The number of building regulation consultations decreased by 4.7% to 45,465, while other fire safety activities declined by 14%.

These statistics provide insight into the ongoing efforts of fire and rescue services across England to enhance fire prevention and safety standards.