Surrey firefighters called to more non-fire incidents than actual fires
There were 3,500 non-fire call outs last year.
Firefighters in Surrey were called to more non-fire incidents than actual fires last year, figures reveal.
The Fire Brigades Union said it has seen a surge in widespread flooding nationally, as crews “battle the sharp end of climate change”.
Home Office data shows Surrey Fire and Rescue Service responded to 3,505 non-fire incidents in 2019-20.
That was much higher the number of fires fought by crews over the period – 2,417.
Incidents not involving fires increased by 1% compared to 2018-19, the figures show, while fires fell by 9%.
Non-fire incidents are classed as anything other than fires and false alarms, including flooding incidents, road traffic collisions, animal assistance as well as suicide attempts, people being stranded, trapped, impaled and dealing with hazardous substances among others.
A spokesperson for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement to GHR Surrey and East Hampshire:
"The role of fire and rescue services as a whole has changed significantly over the years, therefore so has the role of the firefighter which is now much more varied to reflect the needs of residents.
"22% of incidents we have already responded to this year are made up of a range of different 'special service' call outs such as water rescue, road traffic collisions, assisting other agencies (including other blue light partners) and more.
"This is why it's so important that our staff know what the wide variety of risks are within our county, where they are and who and where our most vulnerable people are so that we can prevent emergencies from happening in the first place."
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service was called to 10,994 incidents last year in total, with fires making up just 22% of these.
Nationally, crews responded to 557,299 callouts, a 3% drop compared to the previous year.
An agreement reached in March allowed firefighters to drive ambulances and deliver vital supplies to the elderly and vulnerable as the coronavirus crisis took hold.