SAFER HOUSES CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FIRE PREVENTION IN THE HOME

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  SAFER HOUSES
  CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FIRE
  PREVENTION IN THE HOME
SAFER HOUSES CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FIRE PREVENTION IN THE HOME
Department for Communities and Local Government
Eland House
Bressenden Place
London
SW1E 5DU
Telephone: 020 7944 4400

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November 2008
Reference number: 08 FRSD 05599
ISBN : 978 1 4098 0753 7
SAFER HOUSES CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FIRE PREVENTION IN THE HOME
SAFER HOUSES – 20 YEARS OF FIRE PREVENTION in THE HOME

Contents
Ministerial forewords                                                    2
Introduction                                                             4
A history of fire prevention                                             6
The big picture                                                         10
1988 Furniture Regulations                                              12
1988 National smoke alarm campaign                                      14
1992 Hard wired smoke alarms in new build properties                    16
1995 In the Line of Fire                                                18
1997 Safe as Houses                                                     20   01
1998 National Community Fire Safety Centre	                             22
1999 Fire Kills campaign begins                                         24
2002 Bain Review                                                        28
2003 Our Fire and Rescue Service                                        32
2004 Fire and Rescue Services Act                                       34
2004 Home Fire Risk Check initiative	                                   36
2007 Revision of the Building Regulations                               38
2008 The future of fire prevention					                                 40

Note: The name ‘fire and rescue services’ came into use as part of the
Fire and Rescue Services Act in 2004, before which they were known
as ‘fire services’. Some of the extracts and quotes in this document
that pre-date this name change refer to the service by its old name.
SAFER HOUSES CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FIRE PREVENTION IN THE HOME
Sadiq Khan
                                   Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
                                   Communities and Local Government

     “…fire-related deaths in
       the home are at their
       lowest since the 1950s.”
02
      Maintaining the safety and well-being of        was in the 1950s. It’s even more             a vital part in our achievements so far. But
      the general public sits at the very heart of    impressive when you consider that we’re      we must not be complacent; there is still
      responsible government and we work              an ageing population, with many more         much work to be done, and this unique
      tirelessly to ensure communities are safe.      people at higher risk from fire due to       partnership must continue to thrive if
      Protecting people from the dangers of           age and infirmity.                           we’re going to build on our success.
      fire is a vital part of that work.
                                                      Our success has not gone unnoticed
      Therefore I’m delighted to provide a            outside the UK, with the Japanese and
      foreword for this document, which sets out      US Governments knocking on our door
      how we have significantly improved fire         to find out more about our approach to
      safety in the home over the last 20 years.      fire prevention. With recognition at home
                                                      and now abroad, it’s particularly timely
      In the UK we have a strong record in fire       that we celebrate our collective successes
      prevention. Four out of five people now         and achievements in improving fire
      have a smoke alarm in their home, and           safety, and reducing preventable deaths.
      the latest statistics show that fire-related    We have a strong story to tell; we should
      deaths in the home are at their lowest          tell it and celebrate it.
      since the 1950s.
                                                      This document highlights how the
      This is a terrific achievement, especially as   partnership between central government
      the population is much larger now than it       and fire and rescue services has played
SAFER HOUSES CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FIRE PREVENTION IN THE HOME
Gareth Thomas
                            Minister for Trade, Investment and Consumer Affairs
                            Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

“I’m particularly proud of the part our
 domestic furniture fire regulations have
 played in driving down injuries and deaths
 from house fires.”
                                                                                                                                         03
 We have been very successful in improving    for their courageous work in saving         Finally, I want to acknowledge the
 fire safety in UK homes over the past        lives in household fires. Without their     important contribution made by the
 20 years, and I’m particularly proud of      dedication and bravery, the extra escape    furniture industry, the BSI, test
 the part our domestic furniture fire         time bought by the furniture regulations    laboratories, consumer groups, the Royal
 regulations have played in driving down      would mean nothing.                         Society for the Prevention of Accidents
 injuries and deaths from house fires.                                                    and individual experts. All of these groups
                                              I’d also like to thank Trading Standards,   have helped ensure the life-saving furniture
 The 1980s saw a worrying increase in         who have done a great job in enforcing      regulations continue to be effective.
 the number of tragic deaths and serious      the regulations for the past 20 years.
 injuries caused by furniture filled with     The latest Government report shows that
 highly combustible foam catching light.      in a five-year period they successfully
 In response, the Government and              secured nearly 100 convictions against
 industry worked together with fire and       suppliers selling illegal and dangerously
 rescue services, enforcement authorities     inflammable furniture to the UK public.
 and consumer groups to quickly draw          Also, because the regulations cover
 up regulations which to date have saved      second hand furniture in rented
 hundreds of lives and prevented              accommodation, and nursery items
 thousands of injuries.                       including prams and pushchairs, Trading
                                              Standards have been able to provide
 I would like to take this opportunity to     greater protection to some of our more
 further thank the fire and rescue services   vulnerable citizens.
SAFER HOUSES CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FIRE PREVENTION IN THE HOME
We’ve come a very long way and seen
   a significant drop in the number of
   fire-related deaths in the home

1988 > 1989 > 1990 > 1991 > 1992 > 1993 > 1994 > 1995 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999

  INTRODUCTION
SAFER HOUSES CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FIRE PREVENTION IN THE HOME
05
This document celebrates 20 years           at some of the activity that took place in     And, as we reflect on what has already
of hard work to improve fire safety         previous years. But we have focused on         been achieved, we set out our ambitions
in the home. It sets out a chronology       the last 20 years, as much has been            for the future and look forward to
illustrating the wide range of activity     achieved in that time – in so many areas.      another 20 years of safer houses.
that has taken place – from government
reports and regulations, to nationwide      Past successes, future ambitions               We hope you’ll find this an interesting
advertising campaigns.                      The following pages highlight some of          read, perhaps reminding you of successful
                                            the key milestones, and the impact             work you’ve been involved in yourself.
We have taken 1988 as a starting point,     they’ve had on fire safety between 1988
as it marks the introduction of the         and 2008. We will begin, however, with
groundbreaking fire safety regulations      a look back at the work before 1988.
for furniture and furnishings, and the
beginning of a national media campaign      Our main focus is on the work government
to promote key fire safety messages.        has done by collaborating with fire and
                                            rescue services and other stakeholders
Since then we’ve come a very long way       in this area. Communities and Local
and seen a significant drop in the number   Government is now only responsible for
of fire-related deaths in the home.         the safety in England. However, before
                                            devolution, the predecessor departments
Of course fire safety in the home didn’t    have also had responsibility for fire safety
start in 1988, and we briefly look back     in Wales.
SAFER HOUSES CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FIRE PREVENTION IN THE HOME
Fire-related deaths in the home have
   reduced by around 400 since 1988

1988 > 1989 > 1990 > 1991 > 1992 > 1993 > 1994 > 1995 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999

  A history of fire
  prevention
SAFER HOUSES CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FIRE PREVENTION IN THE HOME
07
Before 1988, government published            became a prominent feature of more           with the equally stark message that the
regular material about fire safety, but it   recent publications.                         reader will not be equipped to deal with
didn’t have the same impact as the work                                                   a fire. A new logo also appeared during
done since.                                  One significant change during those          this year, moving away from the ‘Danger
                                             10 years was the increased focus on          From Fire’ approach of earlier leaflets.
1960s                                        cigarettes. A 1970 government leaflet
During the 1960s, for example, the           only mentions cigarettes when warning        In the early 1980s the number of
number of domestic fire-related deaths in    the elderly not to smoke in bed. By          fire-related deaths in the home gradually
the UK rose from around 400 at the start     1980, the message was directed at a          fell back below 800, but was still
of the decade to almost 700 by the end.      broader audience, and covered other          worryingly high. By 1988, the year
The numbers continued to rise over the       areas of the home – the living room,         that marks the starting point for this
following two decades, despite a greater     garages and workshops.                       document, there were 731 deaths in
focus on fire safety from government.                                                     the UK. Since then numbers in the UK
                                             Yet despite improvements to the material     have fallen below 400 – the lowest for
1970s                                        being produced, the number of deaths         40 years. The fire statistics for England
During the 1970s, messages around fire       continued to rise, passing 800 by the        alone also show a downward trend:
safety were very similar. The language       end of the 1970s.                            the number of lives lost to fire deaths
and graphics changed slightly to reflect                                                  in 2006 was down to 287.
new styles, but broadly the material was     1980s
the same. Interestingly, there was no        In 1985, the style of the material changed
mention of smoke alarms, which               to a very stark black and white cover,
SAFER HOUSES CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FIRE PREVENTION IN THE HOME
In 2003, chip pan fires fell by 23 per
   cent on the 1998-2002 average

1988 > 1989 > 1990 > 1991 > 1992 > 1993 > 1994 > 1995 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999

  A history of fire
  prevention
  (cont)
09
Fry safely                                     Most recently, in 2008, official
One specific message that has changed          government advice was updated, based
since the 1970s is what to do if a chip        on these new recommendations. The
pan catches fire.                              new version of the Fire Safety in the
                                               Home leaflet – the lead piece of literature
Advice stayed the same during the 1970s        in the Fire Kills campaign range – now
and 1980s, when people were encouraged         contains these key messages:
to place a wet tea towel over the flames       • Don’t take any risks. Turn off the heat if
– as demonstrated by Delia Smith in               it’s safe to do so. Never throw water
1983’s Your Guide to Safe Frying.                 over it
                                               • Don’t tackle the fire yourself
But in the 1990s, fire and rescue services     • Get out, stay out, and call 999.
began to recommend that the public
should not try to tackle chip fires at all,
which was consistent with advice on
other fires in the home.

When the kitchen fire safety campaign,
Fire Starts when your Attention Stops,
was last run in 2003, chip pan fires fell by
23 per cent on the 1998-2002 average.
The big picture
     The graph below shows how many                             As you can see, the annual total has
     domestic fire-related deaths there have                    fallen by over 50 per cent since 1988 –
     been each year in the UK since 1960.                       showing just how effective the work
                                                                carried out in that period has been.

                         A growing problem                                                              An all time high
                         During the 1960s the                                                           In the 1970s the number
                         number of fire-related                                                         of deaths continued to
                         deaths in the home rose                                                        rise, passing 800 by the
                         from 390 to almost 700.                                                        end of the decade.

10                                                                                                                                              865
                                                                                                                                                       822
                                                                                               785           787                                              780
                                                                                                      765
                                                                                                                                         733                         728
                                                                                                                    720
                                                                          688                                              690
                             656                                  654                                                             652
                                                                                 627
                                                  611
                                                         583                            574
                                           567
                                    549
                      506

        390    388
        1960

               1961

                      1962

                             1963

                                    1964

                                           1965

                                                  1966

                                                         1967

                                                                   1968

                                                                          1969

                                                                                 1970

                                                                                        1971

                                                                                               1972

                                                                                                      1973

                                                                                                             1974

                                                                                                                    1975

                                                                                                                           1976

                                                                                                                                  1977

                                                                                                                                         1978

                                                                                                                                                1979

                                                                                                                                                       1980

                                                                                                                                                              1981

                                                                                                                                                                     1982
A gradual reduction                                The downward trend                                                  Butts out
The 1980s saw a slight                             The numbers since 1988 have                                         Deaths from smoking-related
improvement, but there                             shown a real downward trend,                                        fires fell by 25 per cent after the
were still 731 deaths                              thanks to the work outlined in                                      first national campaign to tackle
in 1988.                                           this document.                                                      them in 2002.

                                                   Fireproofing furniture                                              Home help
                                                   The Furniture and Furnishing                                        Fire and rescue services have
                                                   Regulations saved at least 710                                      carried out nearly 2 million home
                                                   lives between 1988 and 1997.                                        fire risk checks since 2004.
                                                                                                                                                                            11
                                                                                                                       Raising the alarms
                       744
                                                                                                                       In 1987 just 9 per cent of
                                     731
 710                          707                                                                                      homes had a smoke alarm;
         692    699
                                                                                                                       by 2006 it was 80 per cent.
                                            634     625
                                                            613
                                                                   578
                                                                                        559    564    562
                                                                          530
                                                                                                             513
                                                                                 488                                              483
                                                                                                                    463    455                  446
                                                                                                                                         430

                                                                                                                                                       374    376
                                                                                                                                                                     363
  1983

         1984

                1985

                       1986

                              1987

                                     1988

                                            1989

                                                     1990

                                                            1991

                                                                   1992

                                                                          1993

                                                                                 1994

                                                                                        1995

                                                                                               1996

                                                                                                      1997

                                                                                                             1998

                                                                                                                    1999

                                                                                                                           2000

                                                                                                                                  2001

                                                                                                                                         2002

                                                                                                                                                2003

                                                                                                                                                       2004

                                                                                                                                                              2005

                                                                                                                                                                     2006
Fatal casualties in dwelling fires, UK, 1960 - 2006. Taken from Table 26 of Fire Statistics, United Kingdom, 2006.
The Furniture and Furnishing
   Regulations saved at least 710 lives
   between 1988 and 1997

1988 > 1989 > 1990 > 1991 > 1992 > 1993 > 1994 > 1995 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999

  1988 >
  Furniture
  Regulations
13
In 1988 the number of fire-related deaths in                     A swift response                               Continued success
the home continued to be worryingly high.                        Thankfully, designers and manufacturers        Government commissioned research1
                                                                 were well-placed to respond quickly to         shows that the FFRs were responsible for
One of the main culprits was furniture                           the new regulations. This was largely due      saving at least 710 lives between 1988
containing polyurethane (PU) foam,                               to the development and testing work            and 1997, rising to 1,860 if other factors
responsible for one in every 13 house fires                      carried out in the previous decade, and        are taken into account. The Government’s
and 35 per cent of all deaths from fire.                         the willingness of the industry collectively   annual fire statistics show this downward
                                                                 to make furniture safer.                       trend has continued.
Government responded to this alarming
trend by introducing the Furniture and                           As the FFRs are performance-based, and         Effective enforcement
Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations                          don’t stipulate how the new standards          Enforcing the FFRs is a high priority for
(FFRs), which first came into force on                           should be met, manufacturers can meet          Trading Standards. Their experience and
1 November 1988.                                                 the requirements in the way they think         expertise over the past 20 years allows
                                                                 most appropriate for their own products.       them to focus on key areas of prevention,
Since that date, all fabric and PU foams                         It appears that the majority use chemical      such as nursery furniture, including prams
used in the making of upholstered                                flame retardants in combustion modified        and pushchairs, and the second hand
furniture must be fire resistant. As of                          foams and the back-coating of covering         market. They also contribute greatly to the
1 March 1989, other filling materials also                       fabrics. But with growing consumer             effective interpretation of the FFRs, and to
had to meet the same requirements. Finally,                      concern about their use, it’s likely that      integrating them with other relevant and
on 1 March 1993, second hand furniture                           more furniture materials with natural fire     over-lapping legislation such as the
was covered by the new regulations.                              resistance will appear on the market.          General Product Safety Regulations.
1
    Effectiveness of the Furniture and Furnishings – see Bibliography, p44
By 2006, 80 per cent of people in the UK
   owned a smoke alarm

1988 > 1989 > 1990 > 1991 > 1992 > 1993 > 1994 > 1995 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999

  1988 >
  National smoke
  alarm campaign
15
In 1987, half of the deaths caused by                          selected region, the campaign was rolled        homeowners how important it is to
house fires occurred because people                            out nationally with equally positive results.   install a working smoke alarm.
were already trapped by the time they
knew there was a fire. Only 9 per cent                         The second phase of the campaign                In 2006 it commissioned research2 to
of homes had a smoke alarm, because                            targeted older age groups that had              look at the effectiveness of its work.
homeowners saw them as too expensive                           been less receptive to the initial messages.    It showed that ownership was as high as
and only for commercial premises.                              For example, only 20 per cent of over           80 per cent across the UK, demonstrating
                                                               55s in social groups D and E owned an           the difference that well-researched,
A new emphasis                                                 alarm. Ownership was also low among             clearly-targeted and impactful
Recognising the need to take action,                           the elderly, who still saw smoke alarms         communications can make.
government began to promote the use                            as expensive, unnecessary and difficult
of smoke alarms in homes through a                             to install.
national campaign, which began in
1988. This new emphasis also coincided                         Results of this follow-up were again very
with advances in technology that made                          positive, with ownership increasing from
the alarms cheaper to produce and                              24 per cent to 40 per cent in the over 65
advertise, and more affordable for                             age bracket.
people to buy.
                                                               Keeping up the good work
After a successful pilot, which doubled                        The Government has continued to run
ownership of smoke alarms in the                               regular advertising campaigns, reminding
2
    Evidence base for evaluation of Community Fire Safety – see Bibliography, p44
Over 2.25 million homes in England
        and Wales now have mains wired
        smoke alarms

1988 > 1989 > 1990 > 1991 > 1992 > 1993 > 1994 > 1995 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999 > 2000

        1992 >
        Hard wired smoke
        alarms in new build
        properties
17
Work to promote the use of smoke            home to be fitted with a smoke alarm,        towards fire safety; quite the
alarms continued in the early 1990s, with   never came into force.                       opposite. No one would emphasise
a change in the building regulations for                                                 more strongly than I that the detector
new properties.                             The legislation had first been proposed      prevents no fire. What it does is give
                                            in 1988 by Alistair Burt, the Conservative   the vital few extra seconds of warning
In 1992, the guidance on fire safety (in    MP for Bury (North). In his initial speech   – which, as we have seen all too
Approved Document B) was amended            to the house, he quoted US and               recently, can mean the difference
to say that every new build must allow      Canadian statistics, taken from a            between life and death.”
for mains wired, interconnected smoke       Child Accident Prevention Trust paper,
alarms to be installed. These are           estimating that smoke alarms could           A world leader
thought to be even more reliable            reduce the number of lives lost in house     The eventual 1992 amendment to the
and effective than the self-contained       fires by 40-50 per cent.                     regulations was one of the first national
alternative that tends to be used in                                                     requirements of its type in the world and
older homes.                                Mr Burt also pre-empted concerns             has resulted in mains wired smoke alarms
                                            that smoke alarms might lead to people       being fitted in over 2.25 million homes in
The Smoke Detectors Act                     being less careful about preventing fires    England and Wales since 1992.
The amendment to the building               themselves:
regulations was made following a
private members bill being passed in        “I do not believe that the more
1991. The Smoke Detectors Act, which        widespread use of smoke detectors
would have required every newly built       will encourage a lazier attitude
fire authorities should be given
    statutory responsibility to
    promote fire safety

> 1991 > 1992 > 1993 > 1994 > 1995 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002

   1995 >
   In the Line of Fire
19
Following the new regulations on             from cure toward prevention,                 where this approach had already made
smoke alarms, the focus shifted to           recommending that:                           a huge impact at local level, the report
what else could be done to help                                                           recommended that it became mandatory
prevent fires.                               “…fire authorities should be given           for the whole service.
                                             statutory responsibility to promote
In October 1993, the Audit Commission        fire safety – to educate the public          The financial disincentive
began a study to reconsider issues it had    about fire, its causes, its dangers and      While advocating this new emphasis on
identified in an earlier 1986 report on      ways to combat it”.                          prevention, the report also highlighted a
fire safety – covering the funding and                                                    problem with the Government spending
overall approach of fire and rescue          The rationale behind this change was         formula. As fire authorities received
services. They published the results two     simple. However quickly firefighters         more funding, the more fires they dealt
years later, in 1995, in a report called     reach a fire, there will always be a limit   with, there was no financial inventive to
In the Line of Fire.                         to the number of deaths they can             carry out fire safety work. In fact, it was
                                             prevent, because it also depends on how      a disincentive, as they would receive less
Shifting the emphasis                        quickly the fire was detected.               funding for reducing the number of fires
Looking at all aspects of fire operations,                                                in their community.
the report concluded there was not           Smoke alarms and sprinklers can play
enough emphasis on fire prevention           a vital role here, but ultimately a focus
work – and that this was hampering           on preventing fires in the first place is
a more effective response to fire            the most effective way to further
safety. It went on to promote a shift        reduce deaths. Giving examples of
We believe that investing in community
   fire safety will save lives
   Community Fire Safety Task Force

> 1992 > 1993 > 1994 > 1995 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 200

  1997 >
  Safe as Houses
21
Following the Audit Commission’s           A new vision for fire prevention           National and local action
report, the Home Secretary established     Despite the strong recommendations         As part of its strategy, the Task Force
a Community Fire Safety Task Force,        from the Audit Commission in 1995,         recommended the establishment of a
in 1996, to review community fire safety   community fire safety remained at the      National Community Fire Safety Centre
and recommend a five-year strategy         periphery of fire and rescue service       (see page 23). The Task Force also concluded
to reduce fires and deaths in the home.    activity. Fire prevention had still not    that high profile media campaigns were
                                           become a statutory duty and authorities    the most cost effective way to get across
In its 1997 report, Safe as Houses, the    received no funding for it. What’s more,   key fire safety messages to the greatest
Task Force identified four main barriers   there was no national strategy to reduce   number of people. To support the national
to reducing the number of fatalities and   fatalities, which meant there was no       strategy, the Task Force recommended that
injuries from fire:                        clear focus on achieving this objective.   fire and rescue services produce annual
• questionable leadership and direction                                               Community Fire Safety Plans, setting out
• resource issues                          The vision set out in Safe as Houses       objectives at a local level.
• duplication of effort                    was to see the reduction of fires and
• lack of effective communication with    casualties at the centre of fire and       Safe as Houses also suggested more
   those most at risk.                     rescue service policy and activity. This   targeted programmes of work to improve
                                           was at a time when there were no           the public’s response to fire safety
The Task Force also quantified the         national or local targets for reducing     messages and to change behaviour. Finally,
financial benefits of investing in         the number of fires, injuries from fires   it stressed the importance of evaluating
prevention work for the first time –       or fire-related deaths.                    any initiatives, which again was not
estimating them at £300m per year.                                                    something that had been done before.
Much of the National Community Fire
    Safety Centre’s work was considered
    mainstream activity by 2007

1993 > 1994 > 1995 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 >

   1998 >
   National Community
   Fire Safety Centre
Excuses Kill
                                                                                         1998 also introduced the hard-hitting
                                                                                         ‘Excuses Kill’ campaign. This featured two
                                                                                         20-second adverts, portraying the devastating
                                                                                         impact of what can happen to families and
                                                                                         households who fail to maintain their smoke
                                                                                         alarm. Backed by haunting music, the adverts
                                                                                         showed gravestones and flowers, with
                                                                                         epitaphs of fictional people and their dates
                                                                                         of birth and deaths. It was underpinned
                                                                                         with the simple, emotive strapline ‘Excuses
                                                                                         Kill - Test Your Smoke Alarm’.
                                                                                                                                         23
Ministers established the National         In particular, it helped develop local        A successful outcome
Community Fire Safety Centre (NCFSC) in    links between fire and rescue services        By 2007, much of the NCFSC’s work
1998, in response to the Community Fire    and One Stop Shops, as well as                was regarded as mainstream activity
Safety Task Force’s recommendations.       links with the Sure Start network,            by fire and rescue services, and it was
                                           Neighbourhood Management Pathfinders          closed down by the Government – who
Its aim was to provide a focus for         and Government Offices.                       acknowledged that it had more than
the leadership, development and                                                          served its purpose.
implementation of an evidence-based        Other key achievements included the
community fire safety strategy,            development of:                               The NCFSC also proved the value of
including national campaigns and           • national branding for community fire       high profile media campaigns in helping
sustainable partnerships.                     safety (Fire Kills – You can prevent it)   reduce accidental fire deaths. The
                                           • a suite of fire prevention literature,     Government has announced its ongoing
A broad remit                                 produced to Plain English standards        commitment to support the community
The NCFSC’s work was particularly broad,   • a community fire safety “toolbox”          fire safety agenda by continuing the
drawing on techniques, interventions and      of guidance information and resources      national Fire Kills media campaign.
outreach strategies that ranged from          for local fire and rescue services
award-winning, high profile media          • a comprehensive fire safety
campaigns, to initiatives based on           education programme for primary
community development and health             and secondary children.
promotion models.
Fire Kills has been a pivotal part
     of the Government’s success in
     reducing fire deaths

93 > 1994 > 1995 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 > 20

     1999 >
     Fire Kills
     campaign begins
25
The Fire Kills campaign has been running     messages, and bought alarms as            smoking-related fires. When it was run
for the last 10 years and has been a         a result of them.                         in 2002, deaths from smoking-related
pivotal part of the Government’s success                                               fires fell by 25 per cent on the previous
in reducing domestic fire deaths by 50       The most recent, Pull Your Finger Out,    year. It enjoyed the same success when
per cent since 1988.                         featured the actress Julie Walters and    it was run again in 2004.
                                             first ran from January to March 2008.
The campaign, which was originally           The smoke alarm industry reported a       The successful kitchen fire safety
launched after the publication of            significant increase in sales – as much   campaign Fire Starts when your Attention
Safe as Houses, aims to raise awareness      as 73 per cent – during this period,      Stops, (see page 9) was also part of the
and encourage the public to change           while the percentage of people who        wider Fire Kills campaign.
their behaviour and attitudes to             could recall fire safety advertising
fire safety.                                 without being prompted rose from          The Fire Kills logo and strapline have
                                             46 to 64 per cent. Further runs of the    changed over the course of the campaign,
Success on a national scale                  adverts are due later in 2008 and are     as illustrated above, and now focus on
The success of Fire Kills has been largely   scheduled for early 2009.                 the role the public can play in preventing it.
due to a series of national advertising
campaigns, focused on the use and            Other campaigns, which focused on
maintenance of smoke alarms.                 different elements of fire safety, have
                                             also had a very positive impact. For
There is strong evidence that the public     example, Put it Out. Right Out was
responded positively to the campaign’s       the first national campaign to tackle
Fire Kills has helped raise awareness
     among hard to reach audiences

93 > 1994 > 1995 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 > 20

     1999 >
     Fire Kills
     campaign begins
     (cont)
27
Targeting high-risk groups                     This work was recognised by the             They have been able to plan their
Fire Kills also aims to engage high-risk       Commission for Racial Equality in 2004,     own work, at a local level, around the
groups in deprived areas, who don’t            who highlighted Fire Kills as an example    national awareness campaign running
respond to conventional advertising.           of good practice for black and minority     at any particular time.
Targeted campaigns, PR and partnership         ethnic community engagement.
working (with RNID, the Child Accident                                                     Moving forward
Prevention Trust and others) have helped       Feedback from the communities               The campaign continues to build
raise awareness among these hard to            themselves has also been extremely          relationships with key partners at
reach audiences.                               positive:                                   the national level to target fire safety
                                                                                           messages at the most vulnerable.
In particular, Fire Kills has made an effort   “It is the first time that our
to raise awareness within black and            communities felt that their celebration     The campaign also supports activity
minority ethnic communities, many              and festival (Eid ul Fitr) was recognised   at the local level. The vulnerable and
of who still feel fire safety is not their     from a wider community”                     harder to reach communities are
responsibility and that smoke alarms           – Merseyside FRS Somali Advocate.”          targeted through a comprehensive –
are too expensive.                                                                         and ever-evolving – programme of PR,
                                               A winning combination                       partnership and sponsorship work.
We have used specialist publications           Close collaboration with fire and rescue    Existing trusted communication channels
and TV channels, alongside outreach,           services has been instrumental to the       with these groups are used to help raise
training and community programmes,             campaign’s success, and given them real     awareness, ranging from charities
to tackle and change these perceptions.        focus for their regional activity.          through to public houses.
the prevention of death from fire
    through increased community fire
    safety measures must be among the
    highest priorities of the fire service

95 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 > 2005 > 2006 > 20

    2002 >
    Bain Review
29
The Future of the Fire Service: reducing      “the Government should urgently          service, in terms of size, location
risk, saving lives. The Independent           bring forward legislation to             and the nature of the communities
review of the fire Service (known as the      create a statutory duty upon fire        they serve.”
Bain Review) was published in December        authorities to deliver Community
2002. It was the result of a three-month      Fire Safety in order for the service     All those interviewed highlighted the
review by Sir George Bain (Chairman),         to underpin the changing role of         great work being done by the service.
Professor Sir Michael Lyons and Sir           the fire service.”                       They also raised very similar concerns
Anthony Young.                                                                         about what was preventing the service
                                              Getting access to the front line         from having more of an impact, despite
The review built on a thematic inspection     Bain’s review took place against a       the different profiles and challenges they
report, published in 2000 by Her Majesty’s    backdrop of industrial action by the     faced. These issues – including problems
Fire Service Inspectorate, which looked       members of the Fire Brigades Union.      with funding and the lack of legislation
at how central government, the fire and                                                – were then explored in more detail by
rescue service and its partners could shift   However, the team did visit a range      Bain and his team.
from response to prevention.                  of fire and rescue services around the
                                              country to get the views of those on     Springboard for reform
This earlier report, Making a Difference,     the front line. Nine were chosen, from   In a wide-ranging report, Bain stated
echoed the recommendation from                large metropolitan services such as      that fire and rescue services needed to
In the Line of Fire that this new focus       West Midlands, through to the small      be changed to bring them into line with
on prevention be made a statutory duty        regional team in Strathclyde. This was   best practice. Perhaps most significantly,
as soon as possible:                          to give “a good cross-section of the     he provided a springboard for the
95 > 1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 > 2005 > 2006 > 20

    2002 >
    Bain Review
    (cont)
31
legislative reforms that gave fire        authorities dealing with the most fires      response. This marked a major departure
prevention a statutory footing:           get the most money. This, along with         from the previous, highly prescriptive,
                                          the tiny amount of funding allocated         approach to fire cover.
“While it may be an unachievable          to fire safety work, did little to raise
aspiration that no one should die         the profile of community fire safety at
from fire in the future, we believe       a local level.
there is plenty of scope to drive down
fatalities, injuries, loss of property    In parallel with Bain’s report, work was
and damage to the environment to          being done to change the funding
negligible levels. This requires the      model, and from April 2003 the number
combination of a focus on fire            of fires, false alarms and special calls
prevention rather than incident           was removed from the formula. This
response, different working practices     abolished the perverse incentive that
and a modern flexible risk based          had discouraged a greater focus on fire
approach to allocating resources.”        prevention.
(ref: Foreword)
                                          Risk based approach
A flawed formula                          The Bain report also introduced integrated
Echoing In the Line of Fire and Safe as   risk management for fire safety – using
Houses, Bain pointed out the perverse     risk to determine what resources are
funding incentive that saw the fire       allocated for prevention, protection and
We need to refocus the fire service to
    concentrate on preventing fires in the
    first place

1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 > 2005 > 2006 > 2007 >

    2003 >
    Our Fire and
    Rescue Service
33
The Government took the recommendations    A three-strand approach                         • To reduce the number of fire-related
from the Bain Review seriously,            The white paper said that fire and rescue          deaths in the home by 20 per cent
publishing a white paper, Our Fire and     services should take a broader role in             averaged over the 11-year period to
Rescue Service, the following June.        preventing fire and creating safer                 2010 compared with the average
                                           communities. It set out a three-strand             recorded in the fire-year period to
This highlighted the large number of       strategy to prevent fires in communities:          1999 – with no local authority fire
reports on the fire and rescue service,    1. Building Regulations – to ensure fire          brigade having a fatality rate more
but criticised the lack of action. It          safety is designed into new or materially      than 1.25 times the national average
committed the Government to a                  altered homes and other buildings              by 2010.
programme of change, which included        2. Fire safety legislation for non-domestic
preparing legislation to update and            buildings                                   • To reduce by 10 per cent the number
modernise fire safety law.                 3. Community fire safety – local activity         of deliberate fires by 31 March 2010
                                               to promote a safe environment for              from the 2001/02 baseline.
The Rt Hon John Prescott MP, Deputy            those most at risk of fire.
Prime Minister, whose department had                                                       Although this target did not transfer into
taken on responsibility for the fire and   New targets                                     the PSA targets for the 2007 spending
rescue service in 2001, accepted that it   At the same time as the white paper             period (so-called CSR07), the
was in need of reform:                     came out, the Government was working            Government will continue to track
“We need to refocus the fire service       up new Public Service Agreements                progress against it until March 2010.
to concentrate on preventing fires in      (PSAs) for the 2004 Spending Review
the first place”                           period, which set the following targets:
Since 2004 fire and rescue authorities
    have had a duty to promote fire safety
    in their area

1998 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 > 2005 > 2006 > 2007 > 2008 >

   2004 >
   Fire and Rescue
   Services Act
35
After years of discussion and                prevention was the most effective                 (2) In making provision under subsection (1)
recommendations from various quarters,       model for fire safety. For example, figures            a fire and rescue authority must in
fire prevention was finally made a           showed that over half of all fatalities                 particular, to the extent that it
statutory duty in the Fire and Rescue        from fire were happening before fire                    considers it reasonable to do so,
Services Act 2004.                           and rescue services are called out. So                  make arrangements for –
                                             stopping fires starting in the first place will      (a) the provision of information,
Since the Act came into force, all fire      save more lives and make communities                       publicity and encouragement in
and rescue authorities have had to           safer, particularly amongst the most                       respect of the steps to be taken
promote fire safety in their area and        vulnerable groups.                                         to prevent fires and death or injury
make it a mainstream activity.                                                                          by fire;
                                             Of course the speed and efficiency with              (b) the giving of advice, on request,
The Act also introduced a change of          which fire and rescue services respond                     about –
name for fire services, which have since     to incidents remains vital, so their work                     (i) how to prevent fires and
been called fire and rescue services – the   needs to find the right balance between                            restrict their spread in buildings
addition of ‘rescue’ emphasising a key       prevention, protection and response.                               and other property;
part of their role.                                                                                       (ii) the means of escape from
                                             A new duty on fire prevention                                      buildings and other property
Prevention better than the cure              In article 6 on Fire Safety, the Act states:                       in case of fire.
Research in the years running up to the      (1) A fire and rescue authority must
new Act supported Bain and the Audit              make provision for the purpose of            This represents a major milestone for fire
Commission’s recommendations that                 promoting fire safety in its area.           prevention.
Fire and rescue services have
    carried out nearly 2 million
    Home Fire Risk Checks

1998 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 > 2005 > 2006 > 2007 > 2008 >

   2004 >
   Home Fire Risk
   Check initiative
37
Government signalled its strong support      people living alone with young families.      evaluation to assess the impact of the
for the fire and rescue services moving      Two years into the grant, the Government      investment, and understand how
to a prevention-based approach by            commissioned initial evaluation of the        the distribution of grant funding over
investing £25m pump priming capital          work at a local level. The key findings       a four-year period contributed to:
into the Home Fire Risk Check (HFRC)         were as follows:                              1. meeting the PSA target on accidental
initiative.                                  • The reduction in fires and non-fatal           and deliberate fires
                                                casualties was greater where HFRC/         2. the development of partnership
It aimed to deliver free smoke alarms           alarm installation was more targeted           working by fire and rescue services to
to 1.25 million vulnerable households,       • Fire and rescue services recognised            deliver fire prevention programmes
as part of a home visit that provided           that partnering with other agencies        3. targeting activity by fire and rescue
personalised fire safety advice to              was vital for reaching vulnerable              services at deprived communities
householders. Fire and rescue services          people, securing referrals and gaining     4. the development of plans for fire
could also use the funding to install           assistance in carrying out HFRCs               prevention work from 2008/9 onwards.
sprinklers where the risk merited such       • The estimated benefits of the initiative
an approach.                                    to date (2004-2006) far outweigh the       At the time of writing, the evaluation
                                                revenue and capital costs, even allowing   is not complete. However, we do know
The main target group for this initiative       for uncertainties in the analysis.         that fire and rescue services in England
was the over 65 age group, but other                                                       carried out nearly 2 million HFRCs and
high-risk groups were also covered,          A full evaluation                             fitted 2.4 million smoke alarms using the
including people living with disabilities,   Pleased with these initial findings,          funds – an incredible achievement in
black and minority ethnic households and     Government then commissioned a full           increasing home smoke alarm ownership.
2007 was the first time domestic
    sprinklers had been mentioned
    in the building regulations

1998 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 > 2005 > 2006 > 2007 > 2008 >

   2007 >
   Revision of the
   Building Regulations
39
In 2007 there were further changes to         published a consultation paper on            The revisions also offered a range of
the building regulations, covering the        revisions to Part B (Fire safety) of the     alternative design solutions for how
use of sprinklers in domestic properties.     Building Regulations, which included a       to include sprinkler protection in other
                                              number of proposals for including            types of property.
Ten years earlier, Safe as Houses had         sprinkler protection in domestic and
first looked at the potential of installing   residential premises. This followed a
sprinklers in homes, referencing data         study by BRE that showed a targeted
from the US that suggested this could         approach would be cost effective.
reduce the number of deaths from fire
by up to 63 per cent. The report also         By the end of 2006, the Government
looked at a study by ENTEC which              had published a revised Approved
concluded that the universal                  Document B stating that any new
installation of domestic sprinklers           blocks of flats over 30m in height must
was not cost effective.                       have the capacity for sprinkler protection
                                              to be built in. This came into effect in
Setting new standards for flats               April 2007, and was in line with
Then, in January 2005, BSI published          BS 9251. The final regulatory impact
BS 9251:2005 Sprinkler systems for            assessments estimated that this change
residential and domestic occupancies.         could save 18 lives and prevent 280
In July that same year the Government         injuries over 25 years.
We must not be complacent:
    we must continue to drive
    down fire deaths

2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 > 2005 > 2006 > 2007 > 2008 >

   2008 >
   The future of fire
   prevention
41
Looking back at the milestones in fire      In particular, the campaign will target         as safe as possible. We’re currently
prevention since 1988, there can be no      groups that research has shown are most         looking into options for improving the
doubt that the fire and rescue service      vulnerable to fire, including single parents,   effectiveness of the consumer product
has come a very long way in the field       older and disabled people, students and         safety framework.
of fire prevention, in partnership with     those who frequently drink and smoke at
government.                                 home. Plus it will specifically try and         Sharing success across the world
                                            engage the Pakistani, Bangladeshi,              A recent report, commissioned by the
The Government remains committed to         Somali and Polish communities, where            US Government and discussed in a recent
the fire safety agenda and has developed    smoke alarm ownership remains very low.         edition of Fire Chief magazine, advised
a new Departmental Strategic Objective                                                      that their fire chiefs and departments
(DSO) to continue reducing the numbers      Overall, Fire Kills will continue emphasising   seriously consider following the UK
of fatalities and casualties.               the importance of owning and maintaining        model for delivering fire safety strategies
                                            a working smoke alarm, which is proven          and programmes.
But where else will our focus lie?          to be the most cost effective way of
                                            giving an early warning and enabling            We were also delighted to be able to
Fire Kills continues to thrive              householders to escape.                         share our experience with colleagues
Fire Kills has proved highly effective in                                                   from Japan and we will continue to share
getting across important messages about     Future of furniture regulations                 our experience and learn from others
fire safety to a large audience, and will   The Government is also committed to             as we develop our work in the future.
remain a priority for the Government.       continue making upholstered furniture
2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 > 2005 > 2006 > 2007 > 2008 >

   2008 >
   The future of fire
   prevention
   (cont)
43
The future is local                           By changing the way cigarettes are            their use in properties not covered by
Fire and rescue services now carry out a      manufactured, so they are less likely to      existing regulations.
wide range of fire prevention activity        burn to the filter if left unsmoked or
and will continue to do so. As statutory      discarded, we can reduce the risk that        Looking ahead
partners in Local Strategic Partnerships,     they will result in fires. At the time of     These are some of the key areas we
fire safety – and prevention in particular    writing, the UK is leading the development    will focus on over the next few years,
– are now key considerations when             of a European Standard on safer cigarettes,   but we know there’s more to do. Moving
assessing risks and setting priorities.       which will take at least two years to         forward, we will stay responsive and
                                              finalise. We are arguing for it to be based   open to change – making sure safer
We know many fire and rescue services         on the one already in use in the US.          houses remain a priority.
have successfully negotiated a fire
indicator against which local targets are     Protecting life, protecting property
set, and will monitor how fire prevention     We are also carrying out a wider piece
develops against this new landscape.          of work, looking at the different types
                                              of protection available, to help us
Cigarettes getting safer                      develop more effective policy. For
Centrally, government has a role to play      example, we’ve commissioned new
in influencing the development of fire        research around the use of sprinklers,
safer cigarettes. One-third of fatal house    which we recognise have a valuable
fires are caused by cigarettes – an average   role to play in fire protection.
of 100 lives per year.                        Meanwhile, we continue to encourage
Bibliography
     In the Line of Fire: Value for Money in the Fire Service – the National Picture,
     Audit Commission (1995).

     Safe as Houses: The Report of the Community Fire Safety Task Force,
     Home Office (1997).

     The Future of the Fire Service: Reducing Risk, Saving Lives. The Independent
     Review of the Fire Service, Bain, G., et al (2002).

     Our Fire and Rescue Service, ODPM (2003).

     Effectiveness of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988,
     Department of Trade and Industry (2000).

     UK Fire Prevention Works, Philip Shaenman and Mick Ballesteros, Fire Chief,
44   April 2008.

     Evidence base for evaluation of Community Fire Safety, Michael Wright,
     Richard Genna and Sarah Cudmore, (2006).

     National Risk Assessment of Dwellings, ENTEC, (1997).
1996 > 1997 > 1998 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 > 2005 > 2006 > 2007 > 2008 >

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                                                                          ISBN 978
                                                                        ISBN:   978-1-4098-0753-7
                                                                                   1 4098 0753 7

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