An evaluation of the role of fire extinguishers

The characteristics of dwelling fires
Introduction
46. The previous section addressed a public-oriented view of what a good outcome looks like when a
dwelling/HMO fire occurs. Many of their priorities will be achieved, or strongly influenced, by
restricting the damage caused by a fire. Typically, that means tackling it as soon as possible after
discovery. The evidence identifies that this occurs in most fires, mainly due to the actions of the
public. This section attempts to understand the characteristics of dwelling fires from published
data and, in doing so, to identify the nature of the risk in terms of fires encountered by the public.
47. Portable fire extinguishers are intended for use on small fires. Similar generic descriptions (e.g.
they are for ‘first aid firefighting’) are frequently used but not particularly helpful, as they are
subjective and may mean different things to different people. Therefore, this section seeks to
quantify the size of real fires encountered, albeit based on an estimation of the post-fire damage.
48. The location of fires has not been included although it does, of course, influence some features of
the fire and its behaviour. However, it is assumed that where extinguishers have been
professionally commissioned, the appropriate extinguisher would have been selected for the risk
profile.
The likelihood of experiencing a dwelling fire
49. The number of dwelling fires attended by the FRS has been on a long downward trend, in absolute
terms, despite a rising population size and an increased number of dwellings. Official FRS data
identifies that:
a. In Great Britain (GB), the FRS attended 64,032 dwelling fires in 1994/95; a figure which
had fallen to 36,283 in 2018/19.
b. For England, there were 44,601 recorded dwelling fires in 1981/82, which then rose to a
peak of 58,280 in 1999/00, from which it has subsequently maintained a general downward
trend to the 2018/19 figure of 29,592.
c. In Scotland dwelling fires also decreased, from 9,811 in 1990/91 to 5,137 for 2018/19.
d. Wales has followed a similar trend with 3,030 recorded in 1994/95 falling to 1,554 in
2018/19.
50. It should be noted that these figures identify fires attended by the FRS but not the actions taken. A
proportion of these fires will be ‘out on arrival’ and would not have required an active intervention
by the FRS.
51. Data in relation to dwelling fires that the FRS does not attend is not routinely collected. However,
the results of periodic sample surveys such as the British Crime Survey (BCS) and English Housing
Survey (EHS) do, at least, provide some insight. The figures from these provide a national estimate
derived from the survey results, and so care must be taken in using them. However, at face
value they do suggest a downward trend in the number of fires, like that seen in fires
attended by the FRS.
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