Compare fire statistics

Year ending 2026/03

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
vs
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service
Remove comparison

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service attended 3,849 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 508 for Greater Manchester and 191 for Merseyside.

Average time from call to first appliance at a dwelling fire is 6:57 in Greater Manchester and 6:52 in Merseyside. Response times are broadly comparable. On enforcement activity, Merseyside carried out the larger number of fire safety audits over the year (4,152 vs 3,562). Satisfactory-outcome rates were 56% for Greater Manchester 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 Greater Manchester (44% vs 40%).

Total Fires

Primary fires attended by fire and rescue services

3,849

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service

1,666

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service

Fatalities & Casualties

Deaths and non-fatal casualties from primary fires

508

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service

191

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service

False Alarm Rate

Proportion of all incidents that were false alarms

44%

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service

40%

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service

Fire Safety Audits

Number of fire safety audits conducted by the authority

3,562

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service

4,152

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service

Audit Outcomes

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

3,774

Greater Manchester 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

6:57

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service

6:52

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service

Response Time Distribution

Proportion of incidents by response time band

100%

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service total

100%

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service total

Deliberate Fires

Primary fires recorded as deliberate (arson)

5,588

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service

3,158

Merseyside 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