Fire chiefs hail success as figures reveal huge drop in bonfire incidents

Fire incidents during the bonfire season in Durham and Darlington have plummeted this year, according to new figures.
Picture c/o PixabayPicture c/o Pixabay
Picture c/o Pixabay

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) define the bonfire period as the weeks leading up to and after Bonfire Night itself.

Alongside summer and easter, it one of the busiest times for firefighters, with extra demand, increased calls and more secondary fires.

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According to new data, this year’s bonfire period has seen sharp decreases in incidents across the board.

“It’s been a really successful period and a significant achievement for us,” area manager for community risk management, Robin Turnbull, said.

Mr Turnbull revealed the figures at the combined fire authority for County Durham and Darlington this week.

Data covers the period between October 25 to November 7 and shows a decrease in the number of calls, incidents and false alarms.

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The total number of incidents CDDFRS attended during the bonfire period was 281, a decrease of 32% on 2018.

Deliberate and not known secondary fires for the period were down by 53% on last year.

Around 11 out of fire stations in the region showed decreases in activity, with other areas only having small rises.

Key stats for bonfire season in County Durham and Darlington 2019 include:

Bonfire period

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558 calls received (down by 32% or 216 calls on 2018) 281 incidents attended (down by 32% or 130 incidents on 2018) 76 deliberate and not known secondary fires (down by 53% or 86 incidents on 2018) 19 false alarm bonfires (down by 46% or 19 on 2018)

Bonfire night

117 calls (down by 33% or 58 calls on 2018) 66 incidents attended (down by 17% or 16 incidents on 2018) 28 deliberate and not known secondary fires (down by 38% or 17 incidents on 2018)