A new online tool has been launched by West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS), enabling members of the public to explore the data used by the service to manage risk across the conurbation.

Data drives more and more of WMFS’s daily risk reduction activities. It plays a significant part in ensuring that we direct our resources and efforts towards the most vulnerable people and places in our communities.

Our new ‘Risk Explorer’, developed in conjunction with Shoothill, underpins our commitment to being transparent with our communities about our risk-based approach to making them safer, stronger and healthier.

Users simply need to enter a West Midlands postcode to access several of the data sets we use to analyse and mange risks where they live or work. We use the same data to create our Community Risk Management Plan.

A screenshot of the Risk Explorer tool, showing it's map and the data available for a postcode area

Wayne Brown

Chief Fire Officer

All of our activities at West Midlands Fire Service are guided by our analysis of risk and designed to make our communities safer, stronger and healthier

WMFS Chief Fire Officer, Wayne Brown, said: “We’re delighted to be launching our new ‘Risk Explorer’. All of our activities at West Midlands Fire Service are guided by our analysis of risk and designed to make our communities safer, stronger and healthier.

“If you’ve got a postcode in the area we serve, you can use the online tool to explore several of the data sets we use to inform our work, and also some of the activities we’ve been undertaking in your postcode area – for example, the fire prevention work we carry out every day in our communities.

“In a few months’ time we’re planning to release another tool, which will let people see the types of incidents to which we’ve responded in their areas. Together with our Risk Explorer, this will provide a near real-time window into our work.”

Try our Risk Explorer for yourself! (opens in new tab).

Toggle between the different layers of data and risk modelling. See where our resources are located and the types of activities and incidents we attend in your area.

Expand the date ranges and distances to see how this changes the risk picture, and see how your area compares to others across the West Midlands.

A close up of the map on the risk explorer tool showing a traffic collision incident

Risk explorer showing a break down of incidents in an area over a time period

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