Welcome to our official website
Welcome to the website of Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service which delivers Fire & Rescue services on behalf of the Fire Authority for the whole of Devon & Somerset (including Torbay and Plymouth).
As the Chief Fire Officer, I am proud to be at the helm of the largest non Metropolitan Fire & Rescue Service in the country. In fact we are the 5th largest Fire & Rescue Service in the United Kingdom in terms of both area covered and also number of staff employed (approx 2300 people).
Reflections on 2009
At this time of year, I believe it is important to reflect on what we have done well in 2009 as well as considering what our main areas of focus will be to improve further in the New Year. Prevention. The number of people injured from fires has been reduced by 57%, we feel largely as a result of us completing over 4,200 more home fire safety checks in 2009 (11,216) than 2008 (6,961) during which we provide advice as to fire prevention and free smoke detectors. However, the number of people who have died in fires has increased, the majority of which did not have smoke detectors fitted. Whilst this is still a very low number (6), we clearly need to continue to reinforce our ‘smoke detectors save lives’ message. We continue to target the most vulnerable and work with our partners to ensure we reduce this number further. Whilst deliberate fire are decreasing (down 14%), other fires have increased by 15%. Response. We got a fire engine to fire calls within 10 minutes on 87% of occasions and a fire engine to road traffic accidents within 10 minutes on 79% of occasions. In 2010, we aim to do even better. Value for money. We were praised by the Audit Commission who said that “The Authority’s arrangements for securing Value for Money and savings are especially good.”
We are getting better as an organisation every day and have some innovative approaches that are leading edge. We will continue to have a focus on improvement and learn from the ‘best in class’ but we also have much to be proud of. 2010 will be a good year for Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service and we hope to provide an even better service to the public.
Lee Howell - Chief Fire Officer - December 2009.