Building intelligence to support
prevention, protection and response
strategies across Surrey 2016/17
Surrey Fire and Rescue Community Risk Profile
•
Risk Management Strategy
•
Saving Lives and Reducing Suffering
•
Protecting our Property
•
Protecting our Environment
•
Our Commitment to Reducing Future Risk
•
Performance Data
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHAT IS COMMUNITY RISK? ....................................................................... 4
NATIONAL AND REGIONAL RISKS ................................................................. 4
Surrey's Top 10 Risks ............................................................................... 5
PLANNING FOR MAJOR EVENTS .................................................................... 5
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ....................................................................... 6
NEIGHBOURING FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES ............................................... 6
Emergency Services Collaboration Programme ............................................... 6
FIRE DEATHS ............................................................................................. 7
Fatal RTC Casualties in Surrey ................................................................. 10
Safe Drive Stay Alive.............................................................................. 11
THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT ......................................................................... 12
Industry ............................................................................................... 12
Housing Development ............................................................................ 12
Heritage ............................................................................................... 12
High Rise .............................................................................................. 12
Complex Layout Buildings ....................................................................... 12
WATER .................................................................................................... 13
TRANSPORT ............................................................................................. 13
Roads................................................................................................... 13
Rail ...................................................................................................... 14
Air ....................................................................................................... 14
MANAGEMENT OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT........................................... 14
Wildfires ............................................................................................... 14
Impacts of Common/Wildfires ................................................................. 14
Climate Change and Weather .................................................................. 15
INCIDENT DATA ....................................................................................... 16
OUR COMMITMENT TO REDUCING FUTURE RISK .......................................... 20
2
INTRODUCTION
This Community Risk Profile is set out in six main sections which we have structured to reflect
our mission, which is to save lives, reduce suffering and protect property and the environment.
In each section we explain what the community risks are and how we address them.
The fifth section describes our commitment to reducing future risk.
The final section provides information on our performance. You can see how Surrey Fire and
Rescue Service compares with other fire and rescue services and the numbers of incidents in
different Districts and Boroughs of Surrey. This section is followed by information on how you can
find out more.
In the next section we look at what we mean by community risk, which national risks are
relevant to Surrey, and how we plan for major events and work with neighbouring fire and rescue
services.
3
SECTION 1: RISK MANAGEMENT
STRATEGY
WHAT IS
COMMUNITY RISK?
Community risk represents
the likelihood of an
emergency incident
occurring in a given location
and its expected impact on
the community.
Understanding the risks we
face is a key part of our
decision-making process. It
informs our planning for how
and where we should use
our resources to reduce the
occurrence and impact of
emergency incidents across
Surrey.
We calculate and model our
community risk to help us
understand our environment
and prepare for the
challenges that are likely to
face us in the future.
Understanding the risk of an
incident occurring in the
county gives us the
intelligence to support our
decision making for:
• Our response to
emergencies (Our
response includes the
location, availability and
the skills required of our
people, vehicles and
equipment.)
NATIONAL AND
REGIONAL RISKS
The Civil Contingencies Act
2004 places a duty on
emergency responders to
plan for emergencies. In
Surrey this planning is done
by the Surrey Local
Resilience Forum (LRF). The
LRF is made up of
representatives from local
public services, including the
emergency services, local
authorities, NHS England
and the Environment
Agency.
The LRF produces a
Community Risk Register to
look at the likelihood and
impact of a range of hazards
happening. The LRF uses its
own professional judgment
along with guidance from the
national version of this
document, the National Risk
Register, to put together the
Community Risk Register.
The National Risk Register
is produced by the
Government. It is an
analysis of the risks to the
UK as a whole. It is
developed from historical
and scientific data and the
professional judgments of
experts.
• Our incident prevention
activities (How we seek
to limit the occurrence of
incidents within Surrey).
• Planning for major
disasters (These could
include those caused by
extreme weather,
pandemic diseases or
major incidents.)
4
The National Risk Register
takes into account all
national risks, but not all of
them apply to Surrey. Risks
which don’t apply to Surrey
include coastal flooding and
fire or explosion at an oil
refinery. This is because
Surrey has no coast and no
oil refineries. The majority of
the risks in the National Risk
Register do have a potential
impact on the county, to a
lesser or greater extent.
A sub group of the LRF
analyses the national risks
and assesses where they
should sit in the Community
Risk Register. This sub group
(the Risk Assessment
Working Group) has
representatives from all the
LRF stakeholders and
partners. This creates a
balanced and informed view
in relation to each risk.
SECTION 1: RISK MANAGEMENT
STRATEGY
Surrey's Top 10 Risks
Pandemic of infectious disease
responding to these incidents, make severe
weather a high risk for Surrey.
This is a national risk. The impact would be very
high given the expected infection numbers.
Industrial action
Widespread river and surface water
flooding
This is included because of the recent industrial
action by public sector workers, which has had
knock-on effects on other partner agencies and
residents.
Supply disruption failure – electricity
Human health, localised outbreak of
communicable diseases
This is a very high risk based on historical
events and winter 2013/14 experiences.
This a national risk. The impact of losing
electricity for three days would be significant in
Surrey.
The impact could be to cause a number of
casualties with some fatalities. Any outbreak of
communicable disease is likely to have an effect
on health services with an increase in GP
consultations and hospital admissions. The local
economy may suffer loss of business or tourism.
Environmental pollution
This is a high risk because of the number of
local incidents and the major impact that these
have had on the water quality, flora and fauna.
Structural failures
Transport accidents
This risk relates to the number of reservoirs and
the severe impact that would be felt if they were
to fail.
Surrey has a large road network including
motorways which border the UK’s two busiest
airports. Any incidents which affect roads and/or
airports would have a serious impact on the
economy and the welfare of those involved and
therefore transport accidents represent a high
risk.
Industrial accidents
The impact of any industrial accidents would be
high as most industrial areas are close to builtup areas.
Severe weather
These risks are revisited each year for review
and updated to ensure they are current.
The high number of recent events and the
impacts that they have had on the residents of
Surrey, particularly the vulnerable, coupled with
the associated challenges on LRF partners in
PLANNING FOR
MAJOR EVENTS
Part of our risk management
strategy is to be involved in
the careful planning and risk
assessment of major events
across the county.
Examples of events include:
•
•
•
Armed Forces Day
Epsom Derby
Cycling events
These events pose a risk of
normal fire service
attendance times being
compromised due to
gatherings of large numbers
of people, and an increase in
hazard or risk and reduction
in access.
Additionally there are risks
to Surrey residents such as
the risk of fire due to
camping, barbeques and
discarded smoking materials.
Other risks may be posed by
temporary structures, traffic
congestion, crowd dynamics
and possible terrorism.
5
We work closely with the
event organisers, Surrey
County Council, Surrey
Police, SECAmb and other
partners to ensure the
safety of the residents of
Surrey at the event itself.
We also ensure that major
events will not prevent our
staff getting into work on
time, and that there is
minimum disruption to crews
responding to incidents
either along the route, or
having to access the route to
reach an incident.
SECTION 1: RISK MANAGEMENT
STRATEGY
EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS
Surrey Fire and Rescue
Service has created new
roles so that we can work
better with county and
borough and district teams
in preparing for
emergencies.
These officers will work with
residents, communities and
local businesses to enable
them to create sustainable
community resilience plans.
These will have identified
roles and responsibilities to
be activated when an
incident occurs, supported
by lead agencies and
complementing service
plans. Key areas of focus are
on our response to flooding,
wildfires and winter weather.
NEIGHBOURING FIRE
AND RESCUE
SERVICES
We work in partnership
with our neighbouring fire
and rescue services to
understand whether they
are planning any changes
that could affect the
emergency response to
our communities. Our
neighbouring fire and
rescue services are:
Buckinghamshire, East
Sussex, Hampshire, Kent,
London Fire Brigade,
Royal Berkshire and West
Sussex.
Emergency Services
Collaboration
Programme
In addition to the work we
do with our neighbouring fire
and rescue services, we are
also part of the Emergency
Services Collaboration
Programme (ESCP). The
ESCP is a partnership
between Surrey and Sussex
Police, Surrey Fire and
Rescue, West Sussex and
East Sussex Fire and Rescue
Services and South East
Coast Ambulance Service.
The ESCP aims to improve
the way we deliver
6
emergency services for the
people of Surrey and Sussex,
transforming how the
services can work more
efficiently and effectively
together.
The collaboration is working
together to:
• Improve services to
the public
• Reduce costs
• Increase resilience
• Reduce overlap in
service provision; and
• Increase ability to
better align resources
to demand.
There is a commitment to a
phased approach to
collaboration between the
emergency services, and this
process is in the early stages
of a 5-7 year plan.
SECTION 2: SAVING LIVES AND
REDUCING SUFFERING
The two main causes of death and injury that we deal with as a Fire and Rescue Service are fire
and road traffic collisions (RTCs). In this section we’re going to set out some of the relevant data
and explain the strategies we have developed to reduce the risk and impact of fire and RTCs in
Surrey.
FIRE DEATHS
Surrey Fire and Rescue
Service is committed to
reducing fire deaths. We
have dedicated fire
investigation officers and
support staff working to
identify and tackle the
underlying causes.
Every fire death receives a
hearing by the Coroner and
we will provide a report as
part of this. The Coroner will
come to a verdict on the
cause of death and may
make recommendations to
the community with the aim
of reducing future risks.
• 1 involved a lamp falling
onto combustible material
• 1 involved cooking,
• 1 involved a wood burning
stove
• 1 involved a mobile phone
charger
• 1 involved a toaster
Of the 18 people who died in
fires outside the home, nine
were suffering from mental
health issues.
• 6 fire deaths in vehicle
fires
• 3 fire deaths outside on
common land fires
• 3 fire deaths were caused
by a third party deliberate
act, with 2 people having
Our research has shown that
vulnerable people with one
or more of the following
characteristics are potentially
at greater risk from fire:
• Aged over 60 (risk
increases with age,
especially age 75 and
over, and significantly
increases over age 85)
• Living alone
• Suffering mobility or
hearing loss issues
• Having mental health
issues including dementia
and memory loss
• Having a learning,
physical, cognitive or
sensory disability
• Having alcohol or drug
Between April 2006 and
March 2016 there were 62
deaths as a result of fire.
Most of the deaths occurred
as a result of accidental
dwelling fires. In total 44
people died in 42 accidental
dwelling fires.
The primary causes of the 42
accidental fatal dwelling
fires were as follows:
• 15 involved smoking
materials
• 7 involved ignition by
naked flame
• 6 involved gas/electrical
heater too close to
combustible material
• 5 involved candles
• 2 involved an electric
blanket
• 1 involved a faulty fire
place
• 1 involved a faulty
television
been convicted of murder
• 2 fire deaths were caused
by a deliberate act by the
person that died.
• 1 fire death in a
psychiatric hospital
• 1 fire death outside in a
private dwelling garden
• 2 fire deaths outside in
the garden of a care home
dependency
• Being a smoker
Age
The analysis of fire fatalities
reveals a strong prevalence
of vulnerability in older
people.
As the diagram above
shows, people are living
longer so the age profile of
7
SECTION 2: SAVING LIVES AND
REDUCING SUFFERING
the population will alter.
There will be an increase in
the proportion of people
aged over 60 and aged over
85.
The number of people aged
65 and over in Surrey is
projected to rise by 14%,
from 209,000 in 2013 to
238,600 in 2020.
The number of people aged
85 and over in Surrey is
estimated to increase by
44% from 32,000 in 2013 to
46,000 in 2020.
Living Alone
Of the 44 people who died in
accidental dwelling fires in
Surrey between April 2006
and March 2016, 33 were
people who lived alone. The
predicted rise in single
person households therefore
presents further challenges
as the data suggests that
those living alone are more
vulnerable to fire.
Mental Health
The fatal fires analysis
highlights mental health
issues as a contributory
factor to accidental dwelling
fire deaths.
One mental health condition
closely associated with age is
dementia. The Alzheimers
Society published ‘Dementia
2014 report statistics’ which
state that one in six people
over the age of 80 suffer
from dementia. It was
estimated that there were
15,800 people in Surrey with
dementia in 2015. This is
predicted to rise to 18,810
by 2020 (Surreyi).
The same report from the
Alzheimers Society indicates
that two thirds of those who
have dementia live in the
community.
The areas of poorest mental
health in Surrey are also
areas of the greatest
deprivation. Children in
families with lower income
levels have a threefold
increased risk of mental
health problems.
Overall, Surrey has a slightly
lower prevalence of
depression in adults
compared to the national
level.
Mobility Issues
A key priority for Surrey
County Council is to support
people to live at home for
longer.
Telecare is the name given
to the range of sensors
which link with the
traditional community or
lifeline alarms. Telecare
equipment ranges from a
basic pendant to smoke and
carbon monoxide detectors
for safety, and bed and falls
sensors for those with
mobility difficulties. The
sensors are designed to
assist people of all ages to
live more independently by
monitoring their safety
around the home and
alerting a 24 hour care
centre in an emergency. In
Surrey, when a linked smoke
detector is activated, Surrey
Fire and Rescue Service will
respond.
The predicted rise in the
number of supported
residents means we must
8
continue to work with
partner agencies to ensure
that they refer supported
residents to us for
prevention advice.
Alcohol Dependency
High levels of alcohol
consumption can pose
increased risks of fire when
people undertake other
activities such as cooking or
smoking. Alcohol
consumption can cause
people to fall asleep and not
be aware of dangers around
them, such as a cooker
being on, or a cigarette
being lit.
In Surrey, over 25% of
adults who drink do so above
recommended levels. This is
approximately 215,000
people, 21,000 of whom are
estimated to be moderately
or severely alcohol
dependent.
Seven out of the 11 local
authorities within Surrey are
in the highest 10 nationally
for the percentage of people
aged 16 and over engaging
in ‘increasing risk’ (formerly
known as ‘hazardous’)
drinking.
Long-term health conditions,
an ageing population and
people remaining living at
home independently with
support can lead to
increased risks of fire. Our
prevention strategies target
these residents.
Keeping You Safe from
Fire
Adult Social Care and Surrey
Fire and Rescue Service
work together with borough
SECTION 2: SAVING LIVES AND
REDUCING SUFFERING
and district councils and
Surrey Care Association to
help keep vulnerable people
in Surrey safe from fire.
The definition of a vulnerable
adult is: ‘A person aged 18
or over who is or may be in
need of community care
services by reason of mental
or other disability, age or
illness; and who is or may be
unable to take care of him or
herself, or unable to protect
him or herself against
significant harm or
exploitation’ (Who decides?
1997 Lord Chancellor’s
Department and ‘No Secrets’
– Department of Health
2000).
Working in partnership, we
have put together a
comprehensive programme
of improved fire safety
measures. These include:
• Fire retardant bedding
and furniture throws for
reducing smoking risk
• Cooker cut out systems to
automatically turn off
cookers
• Bedroom door
identification stickers to
assist fire officers in the
event of a fire
• Advice from specialist
Surrey Fire and Rescue
Service officers
• Safe and Well Visits
• Telecare/community
alarms linked to smoke
alarms (which are
connected to a 24 hour
monitoring centre)
• Hard of hearing
equipment linked to
smoke alarms, including
vibrating pads and strobe
lights.
This has seen improvement
to the way residents are
referred between services,
increased awareness around
fire safety and vulnerable
people, increased use of
Telecare smoke alarms and
the supply of other fire
prevention equipment, and
the installation of sprinkler
systems to all Surrey County
Council owned care homes.
This programme is called
‘Keeping you Safe from Fire’
and in March 2014 won the
Fire Service Project of the
Year at the Improvement
and Efficiency Social
Enterprise (IESE) Awards
2014.
Safe and Well Visits
In the past we have carried
out a range of community
safety activities which have
covered basic topics. For
example, Home Fire Safety
Checks covering just fire
safety in the home.
We are expanding this to
better reflect the community
risk in Surrey, so that a Safe
and Well visit covers the
requirements of the person
and the local community.
Increasing diversity within
the communities brings us
additional challenges as we
need to identify the risks
relating to particular
behaviours and lifestyles.
We need to understand the
best ways of reaching and
engaging with all
communities in Surrey so
that we can deliver
appropriate and effective
safety education.
9
Our community safety
toolbox covers the following
areas:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fire safety in the home
Keeping you safe from
fire – vulnerable people
Hoarding
Oxygen use in the
home
Carbon monoxide
safety
Guidance on equipment
available for fire
protection
Guidance on assistive
technology equipment
for independent living
Water and boat safety
How to prepare and
react to a flood
Common and wildfires
One Stop Surrey –
multi-agency referral
system
Domestic violence
Safeguarding
Carer’s support
Dementia-friendly
Surrey
Commercial fire safety
Firewise (an education
scheme which seeks to
reduce the likelihood of
children playing with
fire)
Station events pack
Safe driving.
If you would like a Safe and
Well visit, please call 0800
085 0767 or book online via
this link:
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/
people-andcommunity/surrey-fire-andrescue/keeping-safe-fromfire/what-to-do-before-andafter-a-fire/safe-and-wellvisit
SECTION 2: SAVING LIVES AND
REDUCING SUFFERING
ROAD TRAFFIC
COLLISIONS (RTCs)
Surrey has a total of 3,452
miles of roads, of which:
• 63.3 miles are
motorways
• 384.8 miles are A roads
(of which 104.5 miles
are dual carriageways)
• 236.9 miles are B roads
• 2,758 miles are minor
roads.
Surrey’s roads carry almost
double the national average
amount of traffic. In 2015
there were 763,856 licensed
vehicles in Surrey. Most
(86%) were cars, but there
were also 28,429 motorcycles and 2,195 buses and
coaches as well as other
types of vehicles.
Fatal RTC Casualties in
Surrey
•
•
•
•
•
•
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
–
–
–
–
–
–
29
38
18
18
28
32
The large increase that took
place in Surrey in 2014 also
took place throughout Great
Britain. Central government
analysis has highlighted the
fact that 2014 was the
hottest year on record, and
also one of the wettest years
on record. This extreme
weather is thought to have
contributed to varying
amounts of traffic by
different road users
compared to more typical
years, and therefore
increased levels of exposure
to risk and more casualties.
Overall, the RTC fatality
figures for 2010-2015 are a
marked improvement on
those for the preceding five
years which were as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
–
–
–
–
–
41
45
60
52
64
Fatal car occupant casualties
reduced in recent years to a
record low of 6 in 2013.
There was an increase in
2014 to 16 fatal casualties
followed by a reduction to 10
in 2015.
Annual fatal pedal cyclist
casualties have ranged
between 1 and 4 over the
last five years.
Annual fatal pedestrian
casualties have ranged
between 2 and 10 over the
last five years.
Annual fatal motorcyclist
casualties have ranged
between 3 and 8 over the
past five years.
But while fatalities are
generally reducing, the
number of serious injury
casualties is generally
increasing, as the list below
shows.
•
•
•
•
•
•
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
–
–
–
–
–
–
651
697
581
566
554
486
Surrey has seen a large
increase in pedal cyclists
killed or seriously injured
(KSI) in recent years.
10
Between 2008 and 2014
there was a continual
increase in pedal cyclist
serious injuries up to a total
of 162 in 2014. This was
followed by a small reduction
to 136 in 2015.
KSI casualties for other
vulnerable road users, such
as pedestrians and
motorcyclists, have not seen
the reduction hoped for.
In 2015 over two thirds of
those who were killed or
seriously injured were
involved in incidents on builtup roads. Built-up roads are
those with speed limits of 40
mph or less. These are the
busiest roads and have a
greater proportion of
vulnerable road users such
as pedestrians and cyclists,
so it is unsurprising that this
is where most casualties
occur.
The number of RTCs to which
Surrey Fire and Rescue have
been called has been
reducing in the last few
years. They have gone from
1,188 in 2009/10 to 1,105 in
2015/16.
Surrey Fire and Rescue
Service is not called to every
RTC as many are too minor
to need our help. This may
change in the future when
closer working with our
Police colleagues may result
in us being called to deal
with minor RTCs.
SECTION 2: SAVING LIVES AND
REDUCING SUFFERING
Safe Drive Stay Alive
Young people are a high risk
group of drivers. ‘Safe Drive,
Stay Alive’ is a theatre-based
education production that
the Service has developed.
It aims to raise road safety
awareness among young
people and to positively
influence their attitudes to
driving. Using a combination
of videos and real-life
experiences from people
affected by RTCs, it makes
young people aware of their
responsibilities as road users
and the potentially
devastating consequences of
not taking these
responsibilities seriously.
In addition, young people
are signposted through
social media and through
their schools and colleges to
further sources of
information and guidance.
These include driver tuition,
insurance and online 'brain
training' at Drive iQ. The
ultimate aim is to reduce the
number of road traffic
collisions involving young
people and the number of
deaths and injuries among
this ‘at risk’ driver group.
In 2016, almost 12,000
young people attended a
performance of Safe Drive
Stay Alive. This takes the
total attendance up to
126,176 since the first
performance in 2005.
11
http://www.safedrivesurrey.
org/
SECTION 3: PROTECTING OUR
PROPERTY
FIRE SAFETY FOR
BUSINESSES AND
ORGANISATIONS
• Laboratories for chemical
testing, animal health and
food research.
Surrey Fire and Rescue
Service has a Business Fire
Safety Team, who are
responsible for the regulation
and enforcement of fire
safety legislation in nondomestic premises.
Housing Development
We prioritise the inspection
of commercial and industrial
premises by risk. Our Fire
Safety Inspectors will
provide information which is
consistent, appropriate,
transparent and timely. We
give basic fire safety advice
to local businesses that will
help them comply with
current legislation.
THE BUILT
ENVIRONMENT
Industry
Surrey has one major
industrial hazard which is
governed by the Control of
Major Accident Hazards
(COMAH) regulations. This
means that this site must
have plans for emergencies
that occur both within the
site and also in the
surrounding area.
Housing continues to be built
across Surrey, both in town
centres and more rural
areas, with approximately
5,439 new houses proposed
to be built in 2016/17.
Heritage
Surrey’s many listed
buildings require coordinated
planning to prevent fires
occurring and to mitigate the
effects if they do. We do this
by inspecting properties and
mapping heritage buildings
and structures. The data is
available to our crews
through Mobile Data
Terminals. The fire at
Clandon Park House in 2015
illustrates how this works.
The fire spread very rapidly
because of the historic
design of the building.
However, there was a wellrehearsed salvage plan and
National Trust staff and our
The industrial risk in Surrey
is predominantly from small
scale manufacturing and
processes, which include:
• Fuel farms – these are
located close to Surrey’s
borders and Walton
Aviation Terminal
• Hospitals - drugs
transport
12
crews were able to save
around 400 items.
High Rise
There are a number of high
rise buildings providing
both dwelling and
commercial space.
Incidents in high rise
buildings present us with a
unique set of challenges
that we have to plan and
carry out exercises for. To
ensure we can access high
rise buildings, we have the
country’s highest Aerial
Ladder Platform which
boasts a reach of 42m
(about 10 storeys high).
Complex Layout
Buildings
Surrey has many buildings
that are complex in their
design and/or layout. We
gather detailed information
so that we can give an
efficient and effective
response to incidents in or
involving these buildings.
The mobile data terminals
make this information
available to crews.
SECTION 4: PROTECTING OUR
ENVIRONMENT
WATER
There are a number of rivers
and lakes used for both
transport and leisure
activities. The River Thames
presents additional risk
because there are dwellings
on some of the islands within
the Surrey stretch. We
continue to develop our
waterborne and flood
response capability to
support these households
and the wider communities
of Surrey.
Surrey is vulnerable to two
types of flooding:
1)
Inundation of
floodplains by river
water.
2)
Local flooding when the
drainage network is
overwhelmed by
intense rain storms.
Nearly 64,000 households in
Surrey are at risk of flooding
from the rivers Wey, Mole
and Thames. 24,000 of these
are deemed to be at high
risk.
Over the years, Surrey has
seen regular major incidents
involving flooding. The
worst-affected properties
tend to be in the north of the
county. Although properties
elsewhere in the county
suffer to a lesser degree,
there is still a large impact
on those local communities.
There was sustained flooding
in Surrey during 2013/14
which led to a sharp increase
in the number of flooding
incidents and water rescues
both across the county, and
focused particularly in the
boroughs of Elmbridge,
Runnymede, Mole Valley,
Spelthorne and Guildford.
This risk may be increased in
the future due to the effects
of climate change
highlighted by the UK
Climate Projections. In
conjunction with the Local
Resilience Forum, Surrey
Fire and Rescue Service
works with residents in
known flood areas. We help
them prepare for flooding
and to be aware of what
they need to do in the event
of flooding.
13
TRANSPORT
Roads
The high levels of car
ownership and the major
arterial routes than span the
county mean that road traffic
collisions will continue to
form a significant part of the
work of Surrey Fire and
Rescue Service response
requirements.
There are plans for a second
runway at either Gatwick
Heathrow, which if approved,
will increase air traffic
movements and traffic on
the road network. The
Hindhead Tunnel presents a
potential risk as the UK’s
longest underground tunnel.
SECTION 4: PROTECTING OUR
ENVIRONMENT
Rail
There is an extensive rail
network throughout the
county. Incidents on the rail
network are rare but the
effects can be severe. We
train with our partners to
ensure that we are able to
respond appropriately if an
incident should occur.
Air
With Heathrow, Gatwick and
Farnborough airports
positioned on the borders of
the county and a number of
small airfields throughout,
we recognise the need to be
prepared for aircraft-related
incidents. Whilst major air
incidents are very rare, there
have been a number of light
aircraft incidents in the
county. Smoke from
incidents has an impact on
aircraft and needs to be
carefully controlled under
flight paths.
MANAGEMENT OF
THE NATURAL
ENVIRONMENT
The Surrey countryside is
highly valued, providing both
leisure and commercial
opportunity. As a densely
populated shire county, the
demands on the green
spaces are considerable.
Losing green spaces to fire
has significant consequences
for those who use them as
well as the plants and
animals that inhabit them.
Woodland covers 23% of the
land area of Surrey, far more
than the national average of
8.5%. Woodland is not
distributed evenly across the
county. Boroughs with
particularly high
concentrations include
Waverley, Guildford, Surrey
Heath, Runnymede,
Elmbridge and Mole Valley.
Wildfires
Wildfire is the generic term
used to describe fires
occurring in natural
vegetation and may be
described as "any free
burning wild land fire not
prescribed for the area which
consumes the natural fuels
and spreads in response to
its environment".
Surrey’s mix of natural fuels
make it susceptible to
wildfires. Examples of
natural fuels include molinia
grass, pine needles, tree
moss, leaves and twigs,
broadleaf trees and fir trees.
Impacts of
Common/Wildfires
Wildfire and common fires
can have a number of
impacts.
Social impacts include
threats to the health and
wellbeing of visitors and the
public damage residential
and commercial properties
and damage to paths and
recreation facilities.
Wildfires may also affect
critical national
infrastructure such as
transport networks and
power lines.
Economic impacts include
losses to forestry businesses
and the wood processing
sector, losses to businesses
associated with forests and
woodlands (such as
providers of tourism and
recreation) and the
significant costs of restoring
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woodlands after a wildfire
incident.
Environmental impacts
include damage to the
natural and historic
environment (for example
protected sites, endangered
species, listed buildings and
other irreplaceable features).
Wildfires also release carbon
dioxide stored in vegetation
and soils, which contributes
to climate change.
Service impacts include the
provision of a large number
of resources required to deal
with common and wildfires
which may affect our ability
to maintain effective fire
cover elsewhere. During an
incident we must make
SECTION 4: PROTECTING OUR
ENVIRONMENT
welfare and catering
arrangements for our crews
and may need to request
assistance from other Fire
and Rescue Services and
partner agencies. To be
prepared for wildfires we
have to maintain the
specialist vehicles and
provide additional training.
We focus on reducing the
risk of wildfires by engaging
with local communities. We
also educate using school
education and targeting
youth groups and young
people through schemes
such as Firewise, Firefighter
for a day and YES (Youth
Engagement Scheme).
We have carried out
inspections to identify the
open areas at risk of wildfire
in Surrey. We have identified
30-35 different sites and
premises which should be
considered for evacuation
should a wildfire occur.
We work with residents in
rural areas to reduce the risk
of a fire occurring. We also
provide advice so that
residents can prepare for a
common/wild fire close to
their property and be aware
of what they need to do in
the event of a fire occurring.
Climate Change and
Weather
The current predictions for
climate change indicate a
rise in temperatures and
increased levels of rainfall.
Our approach coordinates
with that of Surrey County
Council’s Climate Change
Strategy, ‘as a major
provider of services to the
community we will also take
account of climate change in
developing and delivering
robust and efficient services
for the future.’ This includes
those services where the
potential impact or
disruption due to changes in
climate is likely to have most
effect, such as emergency
planning or support for the
most vulnerable within the
community.
Higher temperatures suggest
that we can expect to see
more outdoor fires. In the
past, the combination of
school holidays and hot, dry
conditions have resulted in
an increase in incidents in
outdoor leisure spots such as
parks and woodland. This is
not only in the summer, the
Easter holidays can also
pose a high risk.
Prolonged spells of warm,
dry weather increase the risk
of wildfire, discussed above.
Increased demand on falling
water supplies means we
must seek to improve our
management and use of
water as a means of fighting
fires.
At other times, more rainfall
may lead to flooding,
particularly affecting
communities close to rivers,
and flash flooding, can be a
hazard to road users.
Stormy weather may affect
travel across the county as a
result of debris from fallen
and damaged trees. We can
expect greater disruption to
travel owing to extremely
cold (ice and snow) winter
conditions.
15
Fire and rescue vehicles and
equipment play a key role in
keeping staff and residents
safe. We want to make the
best use of our resources,
which includes using more
multi role vehicles designed
to provide support in severe
weather incidents, where a
fire engine cannot reach. We
have invested significantly
over recent years in quality
vehicles and equipment and
propose to continue doing
so.
We are also looking at the
environmental impact of
vehicles throughout their
lifecycle of production, use
and disposal. We are
committed to operating in a
sustainable and responsible
manner, assessing and
balancing carbon footprints
in line with operational
requirements to ensure the
highest standards of public
safety continue to be met.
For example, we are
encouraging our staff to be
more aware of fuel-efficient
driving when they travel
around our county, as this
helps us to keep our fuel
costs down and protects the
environment.
Work is ongoing with our
emergency services partners
to develop an integrated
transport function, to ensure
that through collaboration
the current and future
transport needs for
emergency services across
Surrey and Sussex are met
by improving delivery of
services in an affordable,
efficient, resilient and
sustainable way.
SECTION 5: PERFORMANCE DATA
INCIDENT DATA
The number of incidents in Surrey overall has increased by 16.85% since 2012/13 from 10,763
to 12,577 in 2015/16. This is partly due to increased activity with our emergency service
partners under the Emergency Services Collaboration Programme referred to in Section 1. This is
showing under Assist Other Agencies and Entry/Exit of Property in Table 2 on page 17.
In the last four years Surrey has seen a reduction in the percentage of fires attended in dwellings
where no smoke detector was fitted. The reduction was from 40% in 2010/11 to 29% in 2015/16
and is an outcome of the prevention work we have done to ensure properties in Surrey have
access to smoke detectors.
The number of primary fires in Surrey continues to fall as it does across the country. The low
number of primary fires in Surrey means Surrey is in the top quartile for all fire and rescue
services for this type of incident.
Primary fires are fires with one or more of
the following characteristics:
i) all fires in buildings and vehicles that are
not derelict or in outdoor structures,
ii) any fires involving casualties or rescues,
iii) any fire attended by five or more
appliances.
Secondary fires are the majority of outdoor
fires including grassland and refuse fires,
unless these involve casualties or rescues,
property loss or unless five or more
appliances attend. It includes fires in derelict
buildings.
Dwelling means a property that is also a
place of residence and can include houses,
caravans and houseboats.
Accidental fires include those where the
cause was not known or unspecified.
Deliberate fires include those where
deliberate ignition is merely suspected.
Malicious False Alarms are calls made with
the intention of getting the fire and rescue
service to attend a non-existent fire-related
event, including deliberate and suspected
malicious intentions.
AFA: Automatic Fire Alarms are calls made
through automatic fire alarm systems from
both non-domestic and domestic premises.
Special Services typically require specific
skills and equipment and could mean animal,
flooding or water rescues or release from
lifts.
16
SECTION 5: PERFORMANCE DATA
Comparing our data
Surrey belongs to a group of fire and rescue services which the government identifies as having
similar characteristics – this is known as a family group. The similarity provides the justification
for regular comparison of performance amongst the group’s Fire and Rescue Services. The most
recent data available for family group 4, which Surrey is in, is for 2015/16.
Surrey has a lower percentage of primary fires per 100,000 residents than the average for the
rest of family group 4, 15% rather than 18%.
Surrey’s rate of effecting entries or exits is twice that of the other services in family group 4. This
may result from closer working with our blue light partners. In Surrey, if the ambulance service
requires help to get into a building to reach a patient who can’t open the door themselves, they
call Surrey Fire and Rescue Service. Until December 2014 they would have called Surrey police.
In 2015/16, SFRS was requested 668 times and attended on average in 7 minutes 28 seconds.
INCIDENTS
Table 1: Comparison with Family Group 4 (2015/16 data only)
Incident Type
Per 100,000
Population
Primary Fire
114
Secondary fire
95
False Alarms
450
*RTCs
96
*Surrey has an extensive motorway network
Average for FG4
Surrey’s Position
131
165
355
59
Lower than average
Lower than average
Higher than average
Higher than average
17
SECTION 5: PERFORMANCE DATA
This diagram shows how we are able to compare Surrey’s data with that of the Family
Group 4
18
SECTION 5: PERFORMANCE DATA
Table 2: Number of incidents occurring in each district and borough
Borough/District
Elmbridge
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
2015/16
1,118
1,038
1,242
1,431
1,435
733
580
643
670
687
1,523
1,383
1,511
1,365
1,499
758
774
826
804
906
1,327
1,326
1,297
1,379
1,473
Runnymede
887
808
1,035
972
1,050
Spelthorne
832
780
835
796
926
Surrey Heath
915
768
813
813
890
Tandridge
850
788
926
842
926
Waverley
980
885
1,115
905
1,115
Woking
832
728
762
747
876
Non-attendance
842
905
845
873
794
11,597
10,763
11,850
11,597
12,577
2013/14
2014/15
2015/16
Epsom and Ewell
Guildford
Mole Valley
Reigate & Banstead
TOTAL
*Data taken from Incident Recording System (IRS) Data
Table 3: Number of incidents by type
Incident Type
2011/12
2012/13
Primary Fires
1,483
1,355
1,383
1,345
1,332
Secondary Fires
1,589
788
1,041
856
1,111
128
158
132
123
93
5,047
4,975
5,329
5,460
5,339
Road Traffic Collisions
963
961
923
947
1,124
Flooding
249
302
515
241
282
Assist Other Agencies
83
78
120
351
420
Entry/Exit of Property
331
311
329
501
753
Other Special Services
983
931
1248
968
1,064
-
-
-
-
265
Chimney Fires
False Alarms
Co Responding
TOTAL*
*Total of incidents by type does not include non-attendance which accounts for the difference in the two totals.
Data taken from Incident Recording System (IRS) Data
19
SECTION 6: SUMMARY
OUR COMMITMENT TO REDUCING FUTURE RISK
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service is addressing the changing risk profile through a challenging
transformation programme to ensure we remain a responsive and resilient organisation.
The Public Safety Plan (PSP) is our key planning document that describes how we will play our
part in keeping Surrey residents, and those that work or travel through the county, safe over the
coming years. It outlines our understanding of the risks and challenges facing the county and
how we will maintain, adapt and enhance our service. The PSP is being refreshed in 2016 to take
into account the changing environment in which we work. The Community Risk Profile is a key
part of this document and ensures we are confirming to the government's requirements in terms
of responding to risks.
Prevention, protection and response remain the key elements of our focus. The reduction in fires
in Surrey shows the benefits of these preventative strategies. We will continue to target our
community risk activity to those most vulnerable.
Working with our partners and local communities, we will continue to develop and deliver
community fire prevention programmes to reduce the risk from fire, road traffic collisions and lifethreatening incidents requiring the use of special services. (Special services typically require
specific skills and equipment, for example animal, flooding or water rescues or release from lifts.)
We will promote and deliver planned community risk reduction initiatives focusing on reducing
fire deaths and injuries by undertaking Safe and Well visits supported by Surrey Fire Volunteers.
We will target Safe and Well visits to support people who are most at risk or vulnerable so that
they can live independently for longer.
We will deliver early and effective risk reduction initiatives to reduce the numbers of fire-related
deaths and injuries in the built environment through effective community fire prevention and
protection interventions.
We will work with local communities to build resilience and preparedness for flooding and
wildfires.
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FIND OUT MORE
Surrey-i - Surrey’s local information
system
Summary Statistics box on the home page,
click on local authority and select relevant
area from the drop down menu.
www.surreyi.gov.uk has a wide range of
information and should be your first port of
call for open data from government sources
and Surrey's public service organisations. To
find out more about the information available
for a local area and to compare a local area to
other areas in Surrey go to
http://www.surreyi.gov.uk/MainMenu.aspx?pa
ge=ExploreLocalAreaProfiles or click on the
‘Explore Local Area Profiles’ tab on the
homepage. Then simply select the area and
information you are interested in from Option
1: Quick Select.
Public Health Observatories (Part of
Public Health England)
http://www.apho.org.uk
Health Profiles is a programme to improve
availability and accessibility for health and
health-related information in England. The
profiles give a snapshot overview of health for
each local authority in England. Health
Profiles are produced annually.
From the home page click on Health Profiles
and then Find Profiles and then select your
area.
Surrey-i is also home to:
•
Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
•
Surrey Residents Survey
•
School Census
•
Mosaic Public Sector Interactive Guide
•
Community Foundation for Surrey:
Surrey Uncovered
Projecting Older People Population
Information (POPPI)
http://www.poppi.org.uk
This website is aimed at local authority
planners and commissioners of social care
provision in England, together with providers.
It is a programme designed to help explore
the possible impact that demography and
certain conditions may have on populations
aged 65 and over. You can register for free
and then use the drop down menus on the
right hand side to select the area you are
interested in.
You can access user guides and find out more
about how to get the most out of Surrey-i by
going to
http://www.surreyi.gov.uk/viewpage.aspx?c=
page&page=Surrey-iuserguides. Surrey-i
gathers data at county, regional and national
level from a range of government sources,
however, it is not exhaustive.
Projecting Adult Needs and Services
Information (PANSI)
Neighbourhood Statistics
http://www.pansi.org.uk/
Similar to POPPI, PANSI is for use by local
authority planners and commissioners of
social care provision in England, together with
providers. It is a programme designed to help
explore the possible impact that demography
and certain conditions may have on
populations aged 18 to 64. You can use the
same login details as those created to access
POPPI data and then go to the drop down
menus on the right hand side to select the
area you are interested in.
The Neighbourhood Statistics website
(www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk) is a
free to access online data resource provided
by the Office of National Statistics. It contains
datasets that describe the characteristics of a
neighbourhood, with a particular focus on
deprivation. The website includes results from
the 2001 and 2011 Census and other official
government statistics. Neighbourhood
summaries can be found by typing in your
postcode into the Neighbourhood Summary
box on the right hand side of the home page.
Summaries include information from the 2011
Census on Health, Education and Housing.
Mosaic Public Sector Interactive
Guide
Mosaic Public Sector is designed specifically
for use by the public sector and focuses on
the needs of citizens. It provides a detailed
and accurate understanding of each citizen's
location, their demographics, lifestyles and
behaviours.
Nomis
The Nomis website
(http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/) gives you
access to the most detailed and up- to-date
labour market statistics from official sources
for local areas throughout the UK. Go to the
21
FIND OUT MORE
Go to http://guides.businessstrategies.co.uk/mosaicpublicsector2009/html
/visualisation.htm?011122 to see information
about your neighbourhood. Type in your
postcode and click on Pen Portrait to find out
key features of your neighbourhood, including
people’s preferred method of receiving
information and how worried they are about
being a victim of crime.
Surrey Community Action
http://www.surreyca.org.uk/
This organisation can provide bespoke
research and has access to detailed rural
data.
The Changing Face of Communities in
Surrey
Surrey Community Action commissioned
RAISE (formerly Regional Action and
Involvement South East) to undertake
research into the needs and trends of Surrey’s
communities and the voluntary, community
and faith sectors (VCFS) role in meeting those
needs. This involved conducting surveys,
interviews and gathering statistical and other
data from national and local sources. The
results are brought together in this reporthttp://www.surreyca.org.uk/resource-library/
Links to web pages:
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service
Statement of Assurance
Safe Drive, Stay Alive website
Firewise Scheme
Keeping You Safe From Fire
Age UK
Fire Statistics
If you’re worried about fire, contact us on
0800 085 0767 to request a free safe and well
visit.
22