- Author
-
Association of British Insurers
- Title
- Tackling Fire: A Call for Action.
- Coporate
- Association of British Insurers, London, England
- Keywords
-
costs
|
arson
|
fire insurance
|
accidents
|
home fires
|
office buildings
|
risk management
|
impact
|
fire fighters
|
fire departments
|
fire protection
|
fire statistics
- Identifiers
- England; Scotland; Wales; Ireland
- Abstract
- The current challenging economic climate is likely to have a significant impact on the number and cost of fires and has the potential to have an impact on the number of deaths and injuries which result from fire. The insurance industry is increasingly concerned about rising fire losses: the cost of fire damage in 2008 in the UK rose by 16% on 2007 to a record £1.3 billion - £3.4 million every day. This is at a time when the number of fires has been falling, but the cost of these has been increasing: the average cost of fire claims more than doubled between 2002 and 2008. We are particularly concerned that the number of fires does not start to increase as well. There can be no complacency on the part of those tasked with preventing and reducing the number and cost of fires and their consequences. It is important for all concerned to share research and data to bring about a collective understanding of the impact of fire and to set priorities for risk reduction. This paper highlights recent trends in fire and arson and puts forward proposals to help reduce these risks.