New statistics released by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) show that firefighters responded to just over 3,800 accidental house fires last year.
That’s the lowest level since 2010 and a reduction of 18% in the last decade.
However, in more than one quarter of all house fires, no smoke detector was present in the properties affected.
SFRS Deputy Chief Officer (DCO) Andy Watt said: “It’s pleasing to see a reduction in accidental dwelling fires.
“Prevention is at the core of what we do, and our staff work tirelessly to share life-saving knowledge and guidance with communities to help prevent fire from occurring.
“One way we have done this is through our Home Fire Safety Visit programme, which has seen our staff visit more than half a million homes since 2013 to identify potential hazards.
“However, it is concerning to see a high number of house fires where smoke alarms have not been present.
“Smoke alarms are the best way of providing early detection of a fire and I’d strongly encourage everyone to have interlinked smoke alarms installed within their home.”
Last year firefighters across Scotland attended more than 80,000 emergencies.
The statistics also show that 42 fire deaths were recorded during the same period, down from 43 the previous year. The number of fire fatalities recorded in Scotland has remained relatively comparable over recent years.
DCO Watt said: “Sadly, it is also often the same groups of people who lose their lives to fire each year.
“We’re working tirelessly to support the most vulnerable members of our communities, but it’s true that people of a certain age or who live with certain health conditions remain more at risk of fire.
“That’s why we are determined to focus more of our time and resources towards these groups, so we can help them to live more safely.”
The statistics show firefighters responded to more than 16,000 non-fire incidents, the second highest number on record. This includes flooding incidents and road traffic collisions.
Deliberate fire-setting is also at its lowest level since records began but still makes up 55% of the more than 24,000 fires attended by crews.
Unwanted fire alarm signals (UFAS) are down by almost half year-on-year. This recording period includes a radical change in policy from July 2023 where firefighters now only respond to alarm activations at commercial buildings where this is a clear sign of fire.
DCO Watt added: “Our change in how we respond to automatic fire alarms at commercial buildings came into effect in July 2023 to reduce the number of unnecessary blue light journeys undertaken by our firefighters.
“Countless hours were spent responding to avoidable alarm activations, often caused by human error or faulty equipment.
“It’s very pleasing to see the number of UFAS incidents reduce so significantly and we remain committed to continuing to work with our communities and businesses on this area.”
You can view our full statistics publication on our website.
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