18 Feb 2008 : Column 23W—continued
Fire: Death
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many deaths attributed to fire were notified to her Department and its predecessors by fire and rescue services in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how many such deaths were subsequently not recorded in the fire statistics as a fire death, broken down by (i) brigade and (ii) region. [184788]
Mr. Dhanda:
Every fire death reported to the Department is regarded as provisional until the cause of death can be verified against death certificates,
18 Feb 2008 : Column 24W
following a coroner's inquest. This verification exercise generally has the effect of reducing the number of fire deaths for a given year, as deaths originally attributed to fire may have other causes, for example: a road traffic accident where the cause of death was the impact rather than the subsequent fire, or where a person suffers a heart attack whilst cooking leading to a fire, or where fire has been used to cover up a homicide perpetrated by other means. The verification exercise will also detect where a casualty originally recorded by the fire service as injured subsequently died, so can result in additional deaths being recorded.
The following tables show, for 1997 to 2005, provisional and finalised fire death figures for Government region and for each fire and rescue service. Only provisional figures are currently available for 2006.
| Provisional and finalised fire deaths, by fire and rescue service and Government office region, 1997-2006 |
| | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
| FRS area | Provisional | Final | Provisional | Final | Provisional | Final | Provisional | Final |
|
England
|
596
|
563
|
526
|
493
|
532
|
459
|
500
|
487
|
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Bedfordshire
|
7
|
7
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
6
|
6
|
|
Cambridgeshire
|
5
|
5
|
3
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
5
|
3
|
|
Essex
|
21
|
20
|
15
|
9
|
17
|
12
|
18
|
18
|
|
Hertfordshire
|
9
|
11
|
10
|
9
|
6
|
5
|
9
|
9
|
|
Norfolk
|
9
|
8
|
4
|
3
|
5
|
5
|
12
|
11
|
|
Suffolk
|
4
|
6
|
7
|
7
|
4
|
2
|
7
|
6
|
|
Eastern total
|
55
|
57
|
42
|
35
|
41
|
33
|
57
|
53
|
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Derbyshire
|
13
|
10
|
13
|
10
|
10
|
9
|
15
|
12
|
|
Leicestershire
|
8
|
6
|
21
|
14
|
10
|
10
|
9
|
5
|
|
Lincolnshire
|
5
|
5
|
13
|
8
|
4
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
|
Northamptonshire
|
13
|
11
|
10
|
9
|
8
|
8
|
3
|
4
|
|
Nottinghamshire
|
16
|
18
|
12
|
11
|
15
|
9
|
8
|
8
|
|
East Midlands total
|
55
|
50
|
69
|
52
|
47
|
40
|
40
|
34
|
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Greater London
|
112
|
107
|
76
|
79
|
106
|
82
|
51
|
56
|
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Cleveland
|
7
|
11
|
3
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
6
|
5
|
|
Durham
|
9
|
9
|
5
|
4
|
10
|
10
|
7
|
8
|
|
Northumberland
|
5
|
5
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
Tyne and Wear
|
5
|
5
|
9
|
16
|
8
|
6
|
5
|
5
|
|
North East total
|
26
|
30
|
19
|
26
|
27
|
21
|
20
|
20
|
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Cheshire
|
12
|
13
|
10
|
9
|
11
|
9
|
12
|
12
|
|
Cumbria
|
9
|
8
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
9
|
6
|
|
Greater Manchester
|
33
|
34
|
33
|
27
|
41
|
39
|
25
|
26
|
|
Lancashire
|
27
|
26
|
24
|
23
|
22
|
18
|
21
|
21
|
|
Merseyside
|
16
|
10
|
24
|
24
|
12
|
9
|
27
|
26
|
|
North West total
|
97
|
91
|
98
|
90
|
93
|
82
|
94
|
91
|
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Berkshire
|
7
|
6
|
10
|
10
|
5
|
4
|
9
|
8
|
|
Buckinghamshire
|
13
|
12
|
2
|
2
|
6
|
5
|
10
|
9
|
|
East Sussex
|
11
|
11
|
17
|
11
|
8
|
5
|
6
|
5
|
|
Hampshire
|
9
|
10
|
10
|
12
|
10
|
11
|
23
|
18
|
|
Isle of Wight
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Kent
|
11
|
11
|
8
|
6
|
12
|
11
|
14
|
14
|
|
Oxfordshire
|
5
|
5
|
15
|
10
|
10
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
|
Surrey
|
12
|
10
|
8
|
7
|
12
|
12
|
6
|
7
|
|
West Sussex
|
7
|
6
|
5
|
7
|
11
|
10
|
6
|
6
|
|
South East total
|
76
|
72
|
76
|
66
|
74
|
63
|
76
|
69
|
18 Feb 2008 : Column 25W
18 Feb 2008 : Column 26W
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Avon
|
9
|
8
|
6
|
7
|
10
|
10
|
9
|
9
|
|
Cornwall
|
9
|
10
|
6
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
5
|
|
Devon
|
8
|
9
|
11
|
9
|
8
|
8
|
14
|
14
|
|
Dorset
|
5
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
10
|
9
|
1
|
2
|
|
Gloucestershire
|
8
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
7
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
|
Isles of Scilly
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Somerset
|
4
|
4
|
6
|
8
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
Wiltshire
|
4
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
4
|
|
South West total
|
47
|
46
|
37
|
38
|
42
|
37
|
40
|
40
|
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Hereford and Worcester
|
14
|
8
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
5
|
3
|
2
|
|
Shropshire
|
5
|
6
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
2
|
9
|
9
|
|
Staffordshire
|
15
|
13
|
10
|
12
|
8
|
9
|
11
|
11
|
|
Warwickshire
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
7
|
6
|
|
West Midlands
|
24
|
22
|
25
|
24
|
23
|
22
|
33
|
38
|
|
West Midlands total
|
62
|
52
|
47
|
47
|
43
|
43
|
63
|
66
|
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Humberside
|
18
|
14
|
14
|
11
|
7
|
7
|
14
|
12
|
|
North Yorkshire
|
12
|
10
|
10
|
10
|
9
|
7
|
5
|
5
|
|
South Yorkshire
|
7
|
6
|
13
|
14
|
13
|
15
|
14
|
16
|
|
West Yorkshire
|
29
|
28
|
25
|
25
|
30
|
29
|
26
|
25
|
|
Yorkshire and Humber total
|
66
|
58
|
62
|
60
|
59
|
58
|
59
|
58
|
