Our performance
From the front line to the Fire and Rescue Authority, we monitor and evaluate our performance so that we can learn from our shortcomings, celebrate our successes, and continue to improve our protection, prevention and response services.
We collect and analyse data from our activity to produce information to help our leaders and managers make decisions. Across Devon and Somerset, these decisions directly influence the effectiveness and efficiency with which we operate, and guide and look after the people who provide our services to you.
On this page, you will find reported information on topics like the number of incidents we’ve attended, and how we’re doing against our improvement targets. If you would like further information, you can find out how to contact us on our Freedom of Information page.
We use different systems to measure this data.
- Vision. This is the system that our control operators use when they answer a call to identify where an incident is, and to make sure that we send the right people and equipment to help.
- Gartan. This is the system that our firefighters use to let us know when they are available to respond to incidents. It's linked to our Vision mobilising system so that our control operators can identify which resources can be sent to an incident.
There are many things that can affect how long it takes us to arrive at an incident. Three elements that we can directly influence are as follows.
Monitoring incident rates and outcomes
Monitoring incident rates and outcomes (for example, were there any casualties) helps us to understand if the things we do to prevent emergencies are working. It also enables us to evaluate whether we are responding effectively when an incident does occur, to minimise the severity of the outcome.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, our incident profile has changed so we have taken the decision to monitor incidents based on a five-year average, to try and smooth out this effect. We can assume that figures will return to pre-pandemic levels, however long-term behavioural changes resulting from the pandemic and their impact on incident levels are yet to be understood.
The incident data in this section is sourced from the Home Office National Incident Recording System.