Fire service funding needs to address increased 'elderly risk’

Funding for fire and rescue services needs to address greater risks posed by the rising ageing population, the Local Government Association (LGA) has urged.

The LGA has warned of a 22 per cent increase in the last two years in the number of fire-related deaths involving those aged over 65.

Generally, the risk of fire-related death increases with age, with those aged 80 and over at greatest risk of dying in a fire.

An increase in the number of people living in rented accommodation is also linked to an increase in the number of residential fires.

With the over-85 population set to double by 2039 and the number of people renting privately predicted to rise, the LGA says socio-demographic risk factors linked to fires should be considered in government’s funding of fire services.

The LGA is also highlighting the latest fire statistics which show that although the number of fires has fallen steadily, the rate of decline has slowed and certain types of fire have increased.

Government figures show that funding for fire services, within revenue support grant, has fallen by 38.5 per cent, from £524 million to £322 million, between 2015/16 and 2019/20.

In its Autumn Budget submission, the LGA is urging government not to make any further reductions to fire service funding and to ensure funding levels reflect that fire services are driven by risk, not demand, and need the capability to respond to major incidents.

It is calling for the funding of fire services to take account of the ageing population and rented accommodation risk factors and related fire prevention work.

Ian Stephens, chair of the LGA’s Fire Services Management Committee, said: “The fact that people are living longer is to be celebrated but this presents a clear and additional risk to fire and rescue services which have had their funding cut by around 40 per cent over a four-year period.

“Projected rises in both the elderly population, including those living alone, and the number of people living in privately rented homes will only increase the risk of more fires putting people’s lives in danger.

“Despite an overall fall in fires following successful fire prevention work, certain types of fire, such as deliberate primary fires, are on the rise, which is concerning.

“These trends present a growing risk factor and cannot be ignored. We are urging the Chancellor not to make any further reductions to fire service funding in the Autumn Budget to ensure resources and capability are not jeopardised.

“The fire service needs to be funded to risk, not demand, to ensure it can respond to unanticipated local and national events, such as the Grenfell Tower disaster.”