Compare fire statistics

Year ending 2026/03

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service
vs
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
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Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service attended 773 primary fires in its latest reporting year, compared with 791 at Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. Fatalities and non-fatal casualties from primary fires totalled 92 for Suffolk and 55 for Bedfordshire.

Average time from call to first appliance at a dwelling fire is 11:38 in Suffolk and 8:49 in Bedfordshire. Response times differ by several minutes, often reflecting geography — larger rural coverage areas mean longer average travel to incidents. On enforcement activity, Suffolk carried out the larger number of fire safety audits over the year (1,750 vs 1,636). Satisfactory-outcome rates were 76% for Suffolk and 77% for Bedfordshire, covering audits that closed without requiring informal action, formal notice, or prohibition. False alarms make up a notably larger share of call-outs in Suffolk (53% vs 43%).

Total Fires

Primary fires attended by fire and rescue services

773

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service

791

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service

Fatalities & Casualties

Deaths and non-fatal casualties from primary fires

92

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service

55

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service

False Alarm Rate

Proportion of all incidents that were false alarms

53%

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service

43%

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service

Fire Safety Audits

Number of fire safety audits conducted by the authority

1,750

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service

1,636

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service

Audit Outcomes

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

1,750

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service total

1,728

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service total

Average Response Time

Average time from call to first appliance arriving at dwelling fires

11:38

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service

8:49

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service

Response Time Distribution

Proportion of incidents by response time band

100%

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service total

100%

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service total

Deliberate Fires

Primary fires recorded as deliberate (arson)

409

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service

706

Bedfordshire 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