Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service attended 827 primary fires in its latest reporting year, compared with 1,666 at Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. Fatalities and non-fatal casualties from primary fires totalled 109 for Cheshire and 191 for Merseyside.
Average time from call to first appliance at a dwelling fire is 8:37 in Cheshire and 6:52 in Merseyside. Response times differ by several minutes, often reflecting geography — larger rural coverage areas mean longer average travel to incidents. On enforcement activity, Merseyside carried out the larger number of fire safety audits over the year (4,152 vs 4,080). Satisfactory-outcome rates were 91% for Cheshire and 76% for Merseyside, covering audits that closed without requiring informal action, formal notice, or prohibition. False alarms make up a notably larger share of call-outs in Cheshire (45% vs 40%).
Total Fires
Primary fires attended by fire and rescue services
827
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
1,666
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service
Fatalities & Casualties
Deaths and non-fatal casualties from primary fires
109
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
191
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service
False Alarm Rate
Proportion of all incidents that were false alarms
45%
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
40%
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service
Fire Safety Audits
Number of fire safety audits conducted by the authority
4,080
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
4,152
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service
Audit Outcomes
Results of fire safety audits: satisfactory, informal action, formal action
4,116
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service total
4,218
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service total
Average Response Time
Average time from call to first appliance arriving at dwelling fires
