Question reference: S6W-00419
- Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 2 June 2021
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Current status: Answered by Ash Denham on 11 June 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many accidental house fires there have been in each of the last five years in the Mid Scotland and Fife parliamentary region; how many were caused by electricity, and what steps it is taking to reduce the number of such fires.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) publishes statistics on accidental dwelling fires, broken down by local authority, however this data is not broken down into specific causes. These statistics are available on SFRS’s website, and can be found at this link http://www.firescotland.gov.uk/about-us/fire-and-rescue-statistics.aspx
The SFRS has a statutory duty to promote fire safety across Scotland. In the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2016, Scottish Ministers require SFRS to contribute fully to improving the safety and well-being of Scotland’s communities and to ensure that there is a clear process for working with partners to identify the risks faced by communities and individuals so that activity can be targeted using a risk-based approach.
The SFRS considers how best to reduce dwelling fires, including those caused by electricity, what the focus of its preventative action will be, and with which partner organisations it will work to achieve this.
In addition to a programme of fire safety awareness campaigns and community safety engagement events, the SFRS carried out 69,227 Home Fire Safety Visits in 2019-20. The SFRS website also carries safety information for householders on a range of issues, including home appliances and electrical safety.