Compare fire statistics

Year ending 2026/03

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
vs
Kent Fire and Rescue Service
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East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service attended 979 primary fires in its latest reporting year, compared with 2,011 at Kent Fire and Rescue Service. Fatalities and non-fatal casualties from primary fires totalled 66 for East Sussex and 267 for Kent.

Average time from call to first appliance at a dwelling fire is 8:10 in East Sussex and 9:53 in Kent. Response times differ by several minutes, often reflecting geography — larger rural coverage areas mean longer average travel to incidents. On enforcement activity, Kent carried out the larger number of fire safety audits over the year (2,964 vs 1,008). Satisfactory-outcome rates were 30% for East Sussex and 57% for Kent, covering audits that closed without requiring informal action, formal notice, or prohibition. False alarms make up a notably larger share of call-outs in East Sussex (43% vs 35%).

Total Fires

Primary fires attended by fire and rescue services

979

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service

2,011

Kent Fire and Rescue Service

Fatalities & Casualties

Deaths and non-fatal casualties from primary fires

66

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service

267

Kent Fire and Rescue Service

False Alarm Rate

Proportion of all incidents that were false alarms

43%

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service

35%

Kent Fire and Rescue Service

Fire Safety Audits

Number of fire safety audits conducted by the authority

1,008

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service

2,964

Kent Fire and Rescue Service

Audit Outcomes

Results of fire safety audits: satisfactory, informal action, formal action

1,416

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service total

3,102

Kent Fire and Rescue Service total

Average Response Time

Average time from call to first appliance arriving at dwelling fires

8:10

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service

9:53

Kent Fire and Rescue Service

Response Time Distribution

Proportion of incidents by response time band

100%

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service total

100%

Kent Fire and Rescue Service total

Deliberate Fires

Primary fires recorded as deliberate (arson)

643

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service

1,726

Kent Fire and Rescue Service

About this data

Source: MHCLG Fire Statistics. Crown Copyright. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Figures compared here are drawn from the same MHCLG fire statistics release. Metrics reported on a "year ending" basis may use different reference months (September for incidents and response times, March for audits and outcomes). Headline figures on this page are for the year ending 2026/03.

View source data on GOV.UK