More than a quarter of Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) attendances at fires and false alarms in 2013-14 were due to deliberate fires, according to the Welsh government’s biennial bulletin.
The statistics in Deliberate Fires 2013-14 are compiled from reports on fires attended and submitted by FRS’s in Wales.
The key points for the year 2013-14 are:
?A total of 7564 deliberate fires were attended, an increase of 18% compared with the previous year, but a decrease of 71% compared with 2001-02. Of these, 18% were primary fires.
?Two-thirds of deliberate fires were in South Wales, 24% in Mid and West Wales, and 10% in North Wales.
?664 primary fires were started deliberately in vehicles, a decrease of 8% compared with the previous year.
?There were six deliberate fires in schools, equating to 18% of all fires in schools.
?Two fatal casualties and 72 non-fatal resulted.
?In the combined figures for 2009-10 to 2013-14, furniture and furnishings were the materials first ignited in 19% of deliberate primary fires and, of the dangerous substances, 70% were flammable liquids.
?Included are those fires ignited deliberately, or where deliberate ignition is suspected, or those recorded as ‘doubtful’ by the FRS.
Original source
Welsh Government
Commercial buildings, non-domestic and multi-occupancy premises in England and Wales are already forced to undertake a ‘suitable and sufficient’ fire risk assessment carried out under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
While the overwhelming majority of premises do this, if the assessment is thought to have been carried out to an insufficient extent, the Responsible Person can face an unlimited fine or up to two years in prison.