Fire and rescue incident statistics: April 2019 to March 2020

The analysis in this bulletin relates to fire and rescue service incidents between April 2019 and end March 2020 and therefore covers a period largely prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the lockdown measures introduced on 23 March 2020.

Fires

• In 2019-20 the number of fires attended by Welsh Fire and Rescue Authorities decreased by 18% compared with the previous year. Since 2001-02 there has been a downward trend in the number of fires attended; the 2019-20 figure is 70% lower than in 2001-02.
• The number of primary fires in Wales decreased by 3% over the year from 4,392 in 2018-19 to 4,277 in 2019-20. Primary fires include all fires in non-derelict buildings and vehicles or in outdoor structures, or any fire involving casualties or rescues, or fires attended by five or more appliances. 
• In 2019-20 the number of secondary fires fell by 27% compared with 2018-19.
• The number of deliberate grassland, woodland and crop fires fell by 41% compared with 2018-19.

Casualties

• There were 17 fatal casualties from fires in Wales in 2019-20.
• The number of non-fatal casualties was 507 in 2019-20, an increase of 28% compared with 2018-19. This decrease was largely due to a rise of 45% in those people receiving first aid or sent for precautionary checks.

False alarms

• In 2019-20 there were 14,257 fire false alarms in Wales, down from 14,485 in 2018-19, a decrease of 2%.
• The number of malicious fire false alarms saw no percentage change compared with 2018-19. 

Special Service Incidents

• Fire and Rescue Authorities in Wales attended 10,107 SSIs (including false alarms) in 2019-20, a 9% increase on 2018-19.

Smoke alarms

• In a third of dwelling fires in Wales in 2019-20, no smoke alarm was installed. 

Cause of fires

• In 2019-20 the largest single cause of accidental dwelling fires was misuse of equipment or appliances, equating to a third of these fires. This has consistently been the main cause of accidental dwelling fires since 2001-02.

Response times

• In 2019-20, 61% of primary fires and 70% of dwelling fires in Wales were attended within 10 minutes.