Deputy Mayor Praises Huge Surge In North Yorkshire Fire Safety Visits

Jo Coles, the Deputy Mayor of York and North Yorkshire for Policing, Fire and Crime, has commended the region's fire service for significantly exceeding its home safety visit targets and leading the way on high-rise building assessments.

The Deputy Mayor of York and North Yorkshire for Policing, Fire and Crime has praised the region's emergency responders for a massive rise in domestic safety checks and their proactive approach to high-rise building assessments.

Jo Coles has commended North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service following the release of new performance data covering the period from April 2025 to March 2026. The figures demonstrate that the organisation has surpassed its own expectations for hazard prevention, completing thousands more household evaluations than in previous years.

According to the latest service delivery report, teams carried out 6,353 home fire safety visits during the financial year, significantly exceeding the ambitious goal of 5,500. This represents a 42 per cent rise compared to the previous twelve months and a 65 per cent jump from the 2023 to 2024 period.

Ms Coles explained that the region is currently outperforming many other areas when it comes to evaluating the dangers posed by taller structures.

She said:

"North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is actually, much further ahead with a lot of that work in terms of assessing buildings in our region than most foreign rescue services, just because we have a lot less of those buildings.

My wider concerns always around  domestic dwellings my focus is always on response times, because that is always our challenge in North Yorkshire is just making sure that we've got sufficient response time flexibility when you have dwelling fires

Despite the positive progress on larger properties, the Deputy Mayor stressed that her primary focus remains on everyday homes, particularly regarding how quickly crews can reach emergencies across the county's vast rural landscapes.

Ms Coles said:

"just to make sure that wherever you are in the region you are aware of what the response time is likely to be, but also that the further you are in terms of response time from the nearest fire appliance that actually the prevention and protection work takes place in a more concentrated way in those areas so that people in rural areas for example know, and they are prioritized, particularly vulnerable people in rural areas are prioritized in terms of those home fire safety visits so that people know and are regularly being supported around fire safety in their homes."

The drive to protect more isolated communities is reflected in the latest statistics, which show a 31 per cent increase in visits to properties deemed to be at high or very high risk. Referrals from partner agencies also jumped by 30 per cent, with the vast majority of those 2,345 requests relating to the most vulnerable residents.

Frontline personnel have been instrumental in delivering this surge in proactive care. Operational crews undertook 4,959 of the safety visits, marking a 57 per cent boost in their productivity, while dedicated prevention staff completed a further 1,394 checks.

During a recent visit to Scarborough, Ms Coles observed that firefighters now view these preventative duties as a fundamental part of their daily work rather than an administrative extra. The Deputy Mayor noted that personnel at the coastal station proactively discussed how deeply embedded the safety visits have become in their routine.

The focus on prevention comes alongside ongoing efforts to maintain rapid attendance at emergencies. Ben Illsley, the Director of Operational Support and Assurance for the service, recently confirmed that crews have successfully met their response targets despite the challenges of major incidents, such as the large wildfire at Fylingdales near Whitby.

According to Mr Illsley, the organisation aims to reach all general incidents within an average of 13 minutes, and high-priority house fires within 11 minutes. Provisional data indicates that the service is currently averaging 12 minutes and 15 seconds for overall emergencies, and 10 minutes and 52 seconds for domestic blazes.

With overall incident numbers rising by eight per cent over the last year, the emphasis on stopping emergencies before they start appears more crucial than ever. By prioritising the most at-risk individuals and maintaining a strong presence in coastal towns like Scarborough and rural stretches near Whitby, the fire service aims to ensure that communities remain protected regardless of their distance from the nearest station.

There is more information about home fore safety visits at https://www.northyorksfire.gov.uk/your-safety/book-a-visit/

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