Annual Aberdeenshire performance report highlights the work undertaken by Scottish Fire and Rescue
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Area commander Martin Tait has presented the annual report of the service to Aberdeenshire Council’s Communities Committee at their latest meeting.
It recorded the number of incidents the SFRS attended over the period from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.
It is also used to show how well the service is performing against key performance measures and targets originally set out in the Aberdeenshire Fire and Rescue Plan 2017.
Mr Tait told the committee that during the reporting period the service had been “impacted significantly” by the coronavirus pandemic but noted that some figures in the report were “positive”.
He noted that there had been a “very slight increase” in accidental dwelling fires, up to 165 from 160 at the same period last year.
The pandemic restrictions meant that the SFRS could not carry out Home Fire Safety Visits as it usually could and the service believes that due to people being at home more the increase in fires was “not unexpected”.
Meanwhile the number of deliberate fires did not change from the previous period (233).
The majority of these incidents were the result of either refuse, grassland or scrub fires.
The number of road traffic collisions (RTC) attended by the service was at a four-year low however this was down to less vehicles being on the road as a result of the pandemic restrictions.
Non-domestic fires had also decreased and the service continues to work with business owners and occupiers through its Fire Safety Enforcement Programme and Post Fire Audits in a bid to prevent further incidents.
Mr Tait added that the service recorded a four year low in the number of unwanted fire alarm signals and said the figure of 551 was “really welcomed”.
Committee chair councillor Anne Stirling said Aberdeenshire was “very fortunate” to have the full-time station at Peterhead and the “dedication” of retained firefighters across the region.
She added: “We are all very grateful to all the work that happens not just when they are called out but for the approach that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service take to people’s health and wellbeing, community safety and all other aspects of the work that they do which has diversified over the years.”
