Deaths and serious injuries from fire are up 161 percent in the London Borough of Camden, with the elderly and people in adult social care particularly impacted.
“It’s a trend we can’t ignore,” the borough’s fire chief David George said in the brigade’s annual report to a meeting of the Housing and Fire Safety Advisory Panel at Camden Town Hall on Wednesday 17 April.
According to statistics for April 2023 to March 2024, Camden is third on the list of London boroughs with the most serious injuries, casualties, and death from fires.
It has fallen from first place, where it ranked last year.
“Not withstanding that, we’ve had a lot more fire casualties, death and serious injuries in the last year than any of us would like,” George added.
To tackle the issue, he said the London Fire Brigade (LFB) is implementing “additional work with care providers, particularly social care, and looking to improve information that residents receive from care providers in regards to fire safety in the home”.
This is on top of the quarterly meetings the LFB has with Camden’s adult social care services.
“There is a clear profile of who is dying and getting injured, and that’s the elderly,” said George, “and that’s something we really, really need to address.”
“[As the fire brigade], I represent the response aspect,” he continued, “[and] we need the assistance from partner agencies to get our message into homes.”
The LFB’s annual report also stated that carbon monoxide incidents have increased by 128 per cent year on year.
George said the increase was “potentially to do with fuel poverty and unsafe practices regarding boiler installation”, but said it was not a common issue found in Camden Council-run properties.
Equipment has been added to fire engines to detect carbon monoxide, and George told the council that this has already “saved numerous lives in Camden”.
Camden Council: Housing and Fire Safety Advisory Panel – Wednesday, 17 April 2024. Webcast of meeting.
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