HC Deb 17 March 1978 vol 946 cc378-9W
Mr. John Page

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish figures for the United Kingdom, the Greater London area and the London Borough of Harrow showing, weekly, casualties, fire incidents, cost of fire damage, with note of specially large losses, and other incidents attended during the fire brigades' strike, and similar figures for the corresponding period in 1977.

Dr. Summerskill

The information which is available for each week of the firemen's strike and for the corresponding periods one year earlier is given in the tables below. Separate information about the London Borough of Harrow is not available; and information about incidents attended by fire brigades was not collated in the previous year on a basis

NUMBERS OF INCIDENTS REPORTED AS ATTENDED DURING EACH WEEK OF THE FIREMEN'S STRIKE WITH CASUALTIES RESULTING FROM FIRES AND, IN BRACKETS, CASUALTIES DURING THE CORRESPONDING PERIODS ONE YEAR EARLIER
UNITED KINGDOM
Casualties resulting from fires False alarm calls Special service calls
Fires Fatal* Non-fatal
Week of strike period—
1† 3,992 19 (23) 33 (138) 1,018 966
2† 4,971 13 (22) 43 (128) 788 1,432
3 4,782 26 (25) 155 (103) 390 1,626
4 4,157 21 (26) 157 (138) 321 1,506
5 4,066 24 (30) 120 (152) 276 1,410
6 4,065 22 (18) 148 (130) 246 1,720
7 4,544 21 (36) 111 (105) 299 1,300
8 5,182 35 (39) 135 (157) 262 1,583
9 5,135 22 (23) 158 (123) 345 1,988
Total 40,894 203 (242) 1,060 (1,174) 3,945 13,531

GREATER LONDON
Casualties resulting from fires False alarm calls Special service calls
Fires Fatal* Non-fatal
Week of strike period—
1† 267 1 (—) — (15) ‡ ‡
2† 392 2 (3) 3 (19) ‡ ‡
3 260 4 (7) 27 (36) ‡ ‡
4 235 5 (4) 21 (13) ‡ ‡
5 225 3(—) 21 (23) ‡ ‡
6 392 1 (5) 32 (26) ‡ ‡
7 528 3 (9) 28 (15) ‡ ‡
8 574 8 (6) 22 (26) ‡ ‡
9 502 1 (4) 22 (17) ‡ ‡
Total 3,375 28 (38) 176 (190)

MONTHLY ESTIMATES OF THE COST OF FIRE DAMAGE FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM PUBLISHED BY THE BRITISH INSURANCE ASSOCIATION
£m. £m.
November 1977 … 42.7 November 1976 … 12.7
December 1977 … 33.8 December 1976 … 17.2
January 1978 … 41.0 January 1977 … 22.4
* Fatal casualty figures for the earlier period differ slightly from those given in my reply to the hon. Member for Louth (Mr. Brotherton) on 2nd February 1978, being based on later information.
† There is believed to have been some under-reporting during the early part of the strike period.
‡ Not available.