Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (Commissioner), David Allen, received an update on the end of year performance of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) at his CFRS Public Accountability Conference (PAC) on 14 May 2025.
Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, CFRS has seen a decrease in fires across Cumbria by 11% tackling 1,133 fires compared to 1,311 the same period the year before. Commercial fires reduced by 18% dropping from 150 to 124 reports – 9.6% of call outs to commercial properties were false alarms. However, the service saw an increase in accidental primary dwelling fires by 18.7% rising from 176 to 209 fires. Water rescues have reduced by 20.5% during this period but other non-fire related incidents, such as assisting Northwest Ambulance Service to gain access to properties, have increase by 2.4%. The service is well within their target of responding to incidents within 15 minutes with the service average sitting at 9 minutes and 54 seconds, and on-call average sitting at 12 minutes and 39 seconds.
High-risk premises, such as hotels, restaurants etc. are a key priority for CFRS. In the last financial year, the protection team delivered 532 high risk audits to businesses across Cumbria – up from 377 delivered in the previous financial year. The team also delivers against building and licensing regulations in relation to fire safety. The Service set itself the target of 95% compliance, and in the last financial year has achieved figures of 95.7% linked to building and 96.4% to licensing. The Prevention Team have made 8,247 Home Fire Safety Visits between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, placing them in the top 10 best performing services nationally. These visits provide reassurance to residents that their home is as safe as possible in relation to fires. Delivering Home Fire Safety Visits to the county’s most vulnerable is a priority, with 73% of visits being delivered to either elderly or disabled residents.
Commissioner, David Allen, said: “My Public Accountability Conferences provide me with the opportunity to hold the Chief Fire Officer, Paul Hancock, to account on behalf of the public.
“A reduction in fires by 11% is a really positive outcome but we need to continue to combat the rise in accidental dwelling fires. CFRS continually monitor trends, this rise does not seem to follow a trend and is just a random increase in incidents across the county. CFRS continuously promote prevention messages to the public so I would encourage everyone to go to the Cumbria Fire website to read up on how to keep your home safe, especially as we now have more electronic devices in our homes than ever. If you or a family member are vulnerable, contact Fire for a Home Fire Safety Visit – 8,247 visits over a year is no small feat – that’s over 22 visits a day! – so I’m incredibly pleased that CFRS are taking resident safety seriously. Prevention is absolutely the key to keeping our homes and businesses as safe as possible.
“Cumbria’s geography and its road network is a challenge for the emergency services – many roads were not built to accommodate cars, never mind fire engines. Which is why it’s really positive to see the average response times being well below the 15-minute mark. We’re about to head into our busiest season here in Cumbria so it’s reassuring that our Fire Service can make it to emergencies so quickly. I do, however, want to remind people, residents and visitors alike, that if you are in our more rural, tourist areas, park responsibly. Our fire engines may need to get down the narrow lanes to save you and your family.
“The reduction of water rescues over the last 12 months is also positive but I know that CFRS are not resting on their laurels – this summer is already warmer than last year, so I am sure many people will be heading to our lakes and rivers to cool down – please be sensible and follow CFRS’s guidance around water safety and remember: float to live.
“I am the voice of the Cumbrian public in respect of Fire and Rescue so I intend to use these public meetings to hold the Chief Fire Officer to account over the concerns of residents. I want to see the Fire and Rescue Service to continue to improve and to become one of the best Services in the country so that we can continue to protect Cumbria’s safety.”
Paul Hancock, Chief Fire Officer for Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service, said: “I’m delighted to see the improvement in the service’s performance over the last year, and specifically in the areas the Commissioner has highlighted.
“This progress is a direct result of the hard work, dedication and professionalism shown by everyone across the service.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the commitment and teamwork that have driven these improvements, and I want to personally thank all those who have contributed to this success.”
Anyone interested in reading the PAC papers can find them on the Cumbria PFCC website.