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Firefighters carry out thousands of ‘Safe and Well’ visits every year. They give advice to our more vulnerable residents to help reduce the risk of fire - to smokers or people living with dementia, for example - and can get them extra support from partners if needed. Strong partnerships with colleagues and organisations in other sectors help us to identify and support people who are at higher risk from fires and other emergencies. We carried out more than 31,000 ‘Safe and Well’ visits in 2022/23, of which 13,629 originated from partner referrals. We also handed out 12,056 pieces of equipment such as smoke alarms, alarms for people with impaired hearing and fire-retardant bedding.
But our prevention work extends well beyond the home. We provide fire and road safety education to hundreds of schools and colleges and at our interactive ‘Safeside’ learning centre in Birmingham, as well as at public events and through our popular Fire Cadets programme. Our WMFS volunteers support and add value to the delivery of many of these education programmes. Our highly-regarded fire investigation team provides valuable information about the causes of fires. This helps us to ensure that we understand risks and target our resources effectively. The team also conduct investigations for other fire and rescue services.
Specialist prevention and partnership teams support our firefighters with building strong community links to reduce anti-social behaviour, including arson. We know that some of the most vulnerable road users are aged 17 to 29. That’s why our firefighters and Road Casualty Reduction Team deliver key road safety messages to children and work with young drivers and passengers to help them understand the consequences of choices made at the wheel.
Prevent fires, road traffic collisions and other emergencies.
Focus on reducing health inequalities for our most vulnerable as a means of reducing risk and vulnerability to fires and other emergencies.
Educate the community to reduce their risk and vulnerability to fires and other emergencies.
Collaborate and work in partnership with other organisations to reduce the risk and vulnerability to fires and other emergencies.