Reducing Fire Deaths
Fergus Ewing Signals Scottish Government Commitment To Reduce Fire Deaths
Reducing fire deaths
02/11/2008
A short-life working group has been set up to examine how to reduce deaths and injuries caused by fires.
After figures published this week revealed a 62 per cent rise in the number of fire fatalities last year, Minister for Community Safety Fergus Ewing signalled the Scottish Government's commitment to improve fire safety and reduce the risks of fire.
Mr Ewing has asked the new working group, led by Brian Sweeney, Chief Officer for Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, to address and coordinate efforts to reduce avoidable fire fatalities and injuries.
The group will consider how the Scottish Government and local government can work collaboratively to develop and implement good practice to improve community safety in Scotland. It will also examine how a multi-agency approach might address the wider societal problems of substance abuse and wilful fire-raising that often contribute to these tragic statistics.
Mr Ewing said:
"I recognise the vital work of our Fire & Rescue Services across Scotland, particularly on fire safety and prevention, and that there has been a long-term declining trend in fire deaths. However, the increases in fire fatalities and injuries clearly show that more needs to be done.
"Clearly the issue is not isolated to Fire Services, but must be viewed in a wider context - recognising the role of societal problems such as drugs and alcohol misuse and antisocial behaviour. That's why I've brought together the necessary people for this working group to identify a co-ordinated, strategic response to this very serious issue. We can identify what works and what multi-agency action is needed to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries.
"Hand in hand with this, through our ongoing 'Don't Give Fire a Home' campaign and the recent 'Back to the Start' fire safety campaign, and wider work to tackle substance misuse and antisocial behaviour, we're working to reduce the risks of fire throughout the country."
Cllr Barbara Grant, Community Safety Spokesperson for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), said:
"We welcome the Government commitment to working in partnership to find real solutions to the tragic increase in the number of people and families suffering from the reality of fire fatalities and injuries.
"We must be clear that this is not just a fire problem, it is a community problem. A multi-agency working group facilitating an intelligence-led approach to reducing risk for people in Scotland is absolutely the right approach to take."
Mr Sweeney said:
"There is clearly an issue to be tackled here and I look forward to engaging with all stakeholders to that end.
"Scotland has too many fires, too many fire injuries and too many fire deaths. The review will be cross-cutting. This group needs to strike at the root of the problem and deliver meaningful results."
The short-life working group will focus on the following issues:
What are the key reasons why Scotland faces proportionately a higher number of primary fires, fire deaths and fire casualties as compared to other parts of the UK and Europe
What are the key reasons why Scotland suffers an increasing number of secondary fires
What initiatives are in place to combat these issues and what impact are they having locally and nationally to reduce fire-related deaths, injuries and damage
How can the Scottish Government and local Government work collaboratively to develop and implement good practice to improve community safety in Scotland
The working group will be chaired by Mr Sweeney and will make recommendations to Ministers (and COSLA) via the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) on the Fire Services in Scotland by June 2009. An interim report will be prepared for the next MAG meeting on December 16.
The group will consult with all stakeholders involved, including:
Scottish Resilience; Scottish Fire & Rescue Advisory Unit; representatives of all 8 Fire and Rescue Services; CFOA(S); COSLA; FBU and other employee representatives; other partners in the community planning partnership, health services, education and justice.
The group will:
Provide a strategic view of the work on community fire safety at a local and national level
Provide input from all stakeholders, enabling them to shape and prioritise the work in support of CFS
Develop a more systematic understanding of "what works" in terms of community fire safety
Share and develop good practice based on the outputs and lessons learned from work that has been carried out and
Develop a more effective response which avoids duplication
