Fire Services (London) (Hansard, 23 June 1986)

§ Mr. Leighton
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Her Majesty's inspectorate of fire services, during the 1986 annual inspection of the London fire brigade, examined the operational implications for fire cover in Greater London of the loss of three 100-ft turntable ladders and hydraulic platform appliances and of one foam tender appliance from the London fire brigade on 1 April; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Giles Shaw
Her Majesty's inspectorate of fire services was involved in the recent review by the London fire brigade of all its special appliances and it was satisfied with the arrangements made for 1986–87.
31W

§ Mr. Leighton
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the adequacy of fire cover in London using his Department's computerised fire cover model; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Giles Shaw
None. The assessment of risk and the consequent levels of fire cover in London is a matter for the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority. The possible use of computer models to assist in such assessment is a matter for the authority to decide.

§ Mr. Leighton
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department collects about average attendance times taken by fire appliances in London in response to emergency calls.

§ Mr. Giles Shaw
Information on the times of the first call to the fire brigade and of the arrival of the brigade at the incident in recorded on the reports which are submitted to the Home Office by local authority fire brigades on all fires on which a detailed report is made—it is, those which involve casualties, rescues or escapes, occur in a building in use, unless confined to a chimney, or in a vehicle or other outdoor location having some intrinsic value. These reports serve administrative as well as statistical purposes and the information on the time of brigade arrival is not regularly analysed statistically. Analysis of these data on attendance times for the London area would involve disproportionate costs. However, attendance times were analysed as part of a special exercise on fire cover standards in 1982, and aggregate information for the 14 participating brigades, including London, was published and is to be found on pages 68, 76, 82 and 89 of the report of the Joint Committee on Standards of Fire Cover, published by the Home Office in May 1985.

Deaths in fires in certain types of building 1980 to 1984 England and Wales

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984

Hotels, boarding houses, guest houses, motels, holiday bed and breakfast accommodation 2 10 4 7 9

Hostels and similar institutions 12 2 5 3 6

Detached, semi-detached or terraced houses in multiple occupation ^* 117 110 53 64 67

^* The figures for detached, semi-detached and terraced houses in multiple occupation were affected by a change in recording practice on the fire report forms from February 1982, and the figures for 1982 and subsequent years are not comparable with those for earlier years. Fuller instructions were issued to brigades and this appears to have contributed to a decrease in the figures for houses in multiple occupation and an increase in those for other dwellings in multiple occupation, relative to earlier years.

Deaths in fires in certain types of building 1980 to 1984 England and Wales
	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984
Hotels, boarding houses, guest houses, motels, holiday bed and breakfast accommodation	2	10	4	7	9
Hostels and similar institutions	12	2	5	3	6
Detached, semi-detached or terraced houses in multiple occupation ^*	117	110	53	64	67
^* The figures for detached, semi-detached and terraced houses in multiple occupation were affected by a change in recording practice on the fire report forms from February 1982, and the figures for 1982 and subsequent years are not comparable with those for earlier years. Fuller instructions were issued to brigades and this appears to have contributed to a decrease in the figures for houses in multiple occupation and an increase in those for other dwellings in multiple occupation, relative to earlier years.