51茶馆

Publishing Incident Recording System data on the fire and rescue service at an incident level:

Frequency of release: Annual

First publication: 8 February 2018

Latest update: 25 July 2024

Forthcoming releases: Home Office statistics release calendar

Home Office responsible statistician: Helene Clark

Press enquiries: pressoffice@homeoffice.gov.uk

Telephone: 0300 123 3535

Public enquiries: firestatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk

1. Background

Data quality

Incident records in the Incident Recording System (IRS) are the responsibility of and quality assured by fire and rescue services (FRSs). The Home Office and FRSs work together to improve the data within the IRS and minimise any inconsistencies or errors. However, as the IRS was not designed with record level datasets in mind, a very small number of previously unidentified inconsistencies have been discovered (see project overview for further detail).

IRS incident records are a judgement call of the lead fire officer at the time of the incident. The quality of the information provided by fire and rescue services is variable and its accuracy cannot be guaranteed, especially at a record level, for instance some records involve estimation by those in attendance.

Dataset rationale

Fire-related fatalities were mentioned in a user survey carried out to gather views on the most useful datasets to publish. There is also a clear public good in being able to analyse details on the causes of fire-related fatalities. The Home Office has, and will continue to, engage with stakeholders, such as statistical users and FRSs, to gauge opinion on other datasets to publish.

Dataset definition

Fire-related fatalities are those that would not have otherwise occurred had there not been a fire. Those where the role of fire in the fatality was 鈥渘ot known鈥� are included in 鈥渇ire-related鈥�. Fire-related fatalities includes those who died later, for example in hospital, from injuries related to the fire. Fire-related fatalities include natural causes, such as a heart attack, where brought on by the fire but do not include, for example, a suicide from exhaust fumes where the car later caught fire.

Information on fatalities in non-fire incidents are not included in this dataset.

These records, when aggregated, also match the published statistics as these statistics are for fire-related fatalities in fires.

The data in this dataset is consistent with records that reached the IRS by 15 May 2024. The Home Office only has jurisdiction for fire policy in England, and therefore has published incident data for England only.

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2. Variable by variable - scene setting

A financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March. Record level information is published from financial year 2010 to 2011 - although the IRS began in April 2009 there are a few minor issues with the financial year 2009 to 2010 records which mean that while statistics at higher levels are robust some of the incident level records are not of a sufficient quality to publish. Incidents are allocated to financial year depending on the time of the call, which is usually collected through automatic systems, so for example an incident where the call was made at 23:59 on 31 March 2010 but the incident was closed at 01:34 on 1 April 2010 would be allocated to financial year 2009 to 2010 not financial year 2010 to 2011.

Incidents are allocated to the hour band of the day (for example, 00 to 01, 01 to 02) depending on the time of the call, which is usually collected through automatic systems, so for example an incident where the call was made at 23.59 but the incident was closed at 01.34 on April 1 2010 would be allocated to 鈥�23 to 00鈥� not 鈥�00 to 01鈥�.

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3. Variable by variable - situation

Fire incidents are categorised into one of the four following locations - 鈥渄welling鈥�, 鈥渙ther building鈥�, 鈥渞oad vehicle鈥� or 鈥渙ther outdoors鈥�.

A dwelling is defined as 鈥渁 property that is a place of residence, that is, occupied by households鈥�. The definition includes residential homes, sheltered accommodation, caravans, houseboats and houses of multiple occupancy (HMO). However, it does not include hostels, hotels and residential institutions, bed and breakfast establishments, nursing/care homes and student halls of residence, which are defined as within 鈥渙ther buildings鈥�. Fires in common areas of flats (such as stairs) are defined as within 鈥渄wellings鈥�.

In a case where more than one alarm system was present the 鈥渂est鈥� case is chosen, that is, 鈥淎larm present and raised the alarm鈥� is the best case, 鈥淎larm present but did not raise alarm鈥� is the second best case, 鈥淎larm present but did not operate鈥� is the third best case and 鈥淎larm absent鈥� is the worst case. This is not applicable to some vehicle and outdoor fires as the question is only asked of primary building fires, so these are marked as 鈥淎larm absent鈥�.

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4. Variable by variable - the fire

A deliberate fire is a fire believed to have been started deliberately such as suspected arson and some fires started by children, psychiatric patients, suicides and attempted suicides. Accidental fires include those where the motive was recorded as 鈥渘ot known鈥�. Whilst we would not expect the fires for 鈥渄eliberate fires鈥� to match precisely the in the tables from the Crime in England and Wales statistical release, we would expect deliberate fires for dwellings, 鈥榦ther buildings鈥� and vehicles to be similar to the arson figures.

This variable contains options that best describe the main cause of the fire. FRSs are not necessarily certain that the fire was due to the cause given, only that the cause was one that could be reasonably supposed, given the evidence available. The cause may change as more evidence through a fire investigation becomes available.

This variable contains options that best describe the source of ignition for the fire. FRSs are not necessarily certain what the source of ignition for the fire is, only that the source of ignition was one that could be reasonably supposed, given the evidence available. The source of ignition may change as more evidence through a fire investigation becomes available.

This variable contains options that best describe the room or compartment where the fire started.

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5. Variable by variable - victim details

The options for this variable are 鈥淩oom, cabin or compartment of fire origin鈥�, 鈥淒ifferent floor, room, cabin or compartment than of fire origin鈥� and 鈥淥ther, unknown or not applicable鈥�.

The options for this variable are 鈥淩oom, cabin or compartment of fire origin鈥�, 鈥淒ifferent floor, room, cabin or compartment than of fire origin鈥� and 鈥淥ther, unknown or not applicable鈥�.

The age of the victim is sometimes unknown and sometimes estimated. To reduce personal data risk, ages are grouped into bands. The options for this variable are 鈥淯nder 1鈥�, 鈥�1 to 5鈥�, 鈥�6 to 10鈥�, 鈥�11 to 16鈥�, 鈥�17 to 24鈥�, 鈥�25 to 39鈥�, 鈥�40 to 54鈥�, 鈥�55 to 64鈥�, 鈥�65 to 79鈥�, 鈥�80 and over鈥� and 鈥淯nspecified鈥�.

The gender of the victim is sometimes unknown. The options for this variable are 鈥淔emale鈥�, 鈥淢ale鈥� and 鈥淣ot known鈥�.

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6. Variable by variable - outcomes

This variable shows the option that best corresponds to the circumstances surrounding the death of the victim. The options for this variable are 鈥淭hought to be already dead when Firefighter arrived鈥�, 鈥淯nable to resuscitate, confirmed dead at scene鈥�, 鈥淯nable to resuscitate at scene, confirmed dead at hospital鈥�, 鈥淎live on leaving scene, but died later鈥� and 鈥淣ot known鈥�.

This variable shows the option that best corresponds to the victim鈥檚 cause of death. The options for this variable are 鈥淐ombination of burns and overcome by gas/smoke鈥�, 鈥淥vercome by gas or smoke鈥�, 鈥淏urns鈥�, 鈥淥ther鈥� and 鈥淣ot known鈥�.

Other includes Back/Neck injury, Chest/Abdominal injury, Chest pain/Heart condition/Cardiac arrest, Cuts/Lacerations, Drowning, Fracture, Head injury, Heat exhaustion, Hypothermia, Impalement, Other, Other medical condition, Other physical injury and Shock/anaphylactic shock.

The options for this variable are 鈥淪ingle fatality incident鈥� and 鈥淢ultiple fatality incident鈥�. For a fuller definition of 鈥渇ire-related fatality鈥� please see section 1.