Community Safety
Following the tragedy in the high rise building in Camberwell, please see the link on the right if you are worried about safety in flats and high rise buildings. The Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, Sir Ken Knight, has published a report on emerging issues arising from the fire at Lakanal House, Camberwell. It should be stressed that this is an early report and further details are likely to emerge as the investigation continues. The report can be accessed via the link on the right of this page.
Your fire and rescue service works in three ways to help keep you safe from fires and other emergencies -
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Prevention - by working with you to understand risks, to help reduce the chance of an emergency occurring. |
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Protection - by advising or enforcing (as appropriate) adequate standards of construction and management, to ensure that people are not endangered if a fire occurs. |
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Intervention - our 999 emergency operational response, providing 24/7 support should an incident occur. |
Community safety is the term we use to encompass prevention and protection. All of our services are delivered by our staff who are based in six geographical areas. These are further divided into groups comprising fire stations and a group support team.
Emergencies can occur almost anywhere. Prevention and protection activities impact on all people in all places, therefore we have to use information and intelligence to target our resources to ensure that they have the most effect. Staff in our headquarters departments are responsible for devising strategies, developing policies and supporting service delivery by the provision of information. They link with colleagues in the region and nationally to identify good practice, and to help devise processes that ensure that we deliver a consistent, effective service.
Key community safety activities include -
Home fire safety - we know that people are at their most vulnerable when asleep. Smoke detectors save lives - when did you last check yours?
Education - most fires could be prevented if people understood what to do, and what happens if they do not act. We work with young persons to ensure they all understand the dangers of fire, and that those who need it get extra help.
Youth Services - Young people are an important part of our communities and lives. We offer a unique opportunity for young people to work with us by running a number of schemes designed to reduce fire crime through education. Anti social behaviour is also prevented and life opportunities are improved.
Arson - a surprisingly high proportion of fires are started deliberately. We work with the police and others to drive down this very serious crime, helping to make targets harder to find, and to identify perpetrators.
Enforcement - The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to most places that are not used as dwellings. This law is enforced by the fire and rescue service. A person is identified by the Order to take the responsibility for carrying out a risk assessment and to take appropriate steps to prevent fires and protect people should a fire occur.