Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, received an update this week on the performance of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) during his latest Public Accountability Conference (PAC), held on Wednesday 5 November 2025.
Between 1 April and 30 September 2025, the Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service attended 1,133 fires across Cumbria – a 48.4% increase compared to 871 fires in the same period last year. The rise has largely been attributed to the dry, hot weather in April and May, which led to wildfires across the county.
Commercial fires also saw a 30.3% rise, with 27 more incidents than the same period in 2024. Of all callouts to commercial premises, 6.3% were false alarms. Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service is working with repeat offenders to raise awareness and identify safety improvements.
While the overall number of fires increased, accidental primary dwelling fires fell by 5.4%, dropping from 98 to 93 incidents. There were also fewer water rescues, down 25.9% from 27 to 20, and a 10% reduction in non-fire related incidents, falling from 890 to 801.
Response times by fire crews remain within their targets of 10 and 15 minutes, with the service averaging 9 minutes 43 seconds overall and 12 minutes 59 seconds for on-call crews.
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service prevention team is continuing to prioritise high-risk premises such as hotels and restaurants. Between April and September 2025, the Protection Team carried out 126 high-risk audits – down from 204 in the same period last year – and achieved compliance rates of 96.6% for building regulations and 100% for licensing.
The Prevention Team also completed 3,804 Home Fire Safety Visits, just short of its 4,000 target, but still placing Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service among the top ten fire services nationally for home safety delivery. Of these visits, 70% were to elderly or disabled residents, helping to protect some of Cumbria’s most vulnerable people.
Commissioner David Allen said:
“My Public Accountability Conferences provide me with the opportunity to hold the Chief Fire Officer, Paul Hancock, to account on behalf of the public.
I’m pleased to see that residential fires have reduced – a fire has a huge impact on someone’s life, in the worst-case scenario people lose their lives, so it’s positive to see homes are safer this year.
However, an increase overall in fires is a worry. Most of which are contributed to warmer, drier weather and wildfires – I always want to remind the public not to set fires in public and rural spaces. One spark can have a devastating effect. CFRS are always there to help but we need to work together so that fire risk is minimal.
Prevention is key to keeping ourselves and others safe – the Prevention Team have completed 3,804 home safety visits. Although slightly under the service’s self-imposed target, this is a huge feat. It means 3,804 homes are safer from fires and with the majority being provided to our most vulnerable in society, I’m very happy with that.”
Mr Allen also received an update on the Service’s progress in responding to recommendations from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) made earlier this year.
“The Service are making great strides in their progress, focusing on long-term improvements over quick fixes,” he said. “The Inspectorate were pleased with the improvements already made. All recommendations relate to back-office processes – none affect the delivery of emergency services. Cumbria has a fantastic Fire and Rescue Service that will always be there when needed in an emergency.”
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