New data has revealed a surprising disparity in the level of vehicle-related fires tackled by Fire and Rescue Services across the UK.
Following Freedom of Information requests, the research used callout logs from 31 different Fire and Rescue Services.
Data covering incidents across a full year was collated, with this information overlaid across the number of vehicles registered in each area.
This creates a picture of where Fire and Rescue Services deal with the most vehicle incidents, including fires.
At its most extreme, the data showed that vehicles in London were 15.6 times more likely than those in Kent to be involved in an incident requiring an emergency response.
Regional fire response differences
London Fire Brigade topped the charts for the most vehicle-related callouts, attending 7,572 incidents in one year. This equates to the capital’s firefighters responding to 453 incidents per 10,000 vehicles.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue claimed second place, with 343 callouts per 10,000 vehicles, followed by East Sussex Fire and Rescue on 268 incidents.
At the other end of the scale, Kent Fire and Rescue Service attended just 29 incidents per 10,000 vehicles during the past year.
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service was the second lowest, responding to 46 callouts for every 10,000 registered vehicles. Notably, this is seven times lower than that recorded by neighbouring Tyne and Wear.
Derbyshire followed as the third lowest, with 114 incidents per 10,000 vehicles registered: still nearly four times lower than London.
Proper car maintenance reduces risk
Although London Fire Brigade attended the most vehicle callouts relative to cars registered, these accounted for only 5.5 percent of all the incidents it attended.
By comparison, vehicle fires and other related incidents made up over a fifth (20.4 percent) of the workload for Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue.
Karl Bantleman from Direct365, which undertook the research, commented: “Data from Fire and Rescue Services across England clearly illustrates the tireless, around-the-clock work of this sector, ensuring our nation’s safety.
“The disparity between vehicle safety of counties like Kent and the high incident rates in areas like London and Tyne and Wear shows that road risk is heavily influenced by local infrastructure and traffic density. We’ve seen road incidents account for over 20 percent of Fire and Rescue callouts in areas like Buckinghamshire, which demonstrates the fluctuating pressure placed on different regional services.
“Regardless of location, vehicle owners must take proactive steps to reduce risk. Routine maintenance is vital to preventing incidents and ensuring our essential emergency services can focus their resources where they are most needed.”
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