North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue are working with North Yorkshire Police and other partners as part of ‘Operation Fire-Safe’ which aims to reduce the number of deliberate fires in and around the City of York.
Reactive and proactive activities are being planned and conducted across the city, where numerous incidents of deliberate fire-setting, believed to be caused by young people, is of serious concern.
The Fire Service Prevention Team are working with North Yorkshire Police’s Safer Neighbourhood Team, local schools, charitable organisations, youth workers and local fire crews to implement an effective and collaborative approach to this issue. This includes fire-Safe interventions and educational school visits to engage with local communities to highlight the dangers and potential consequences of deliberate fire-setting.
Neighbourhood Policing Team officers will be conducting patrols of areas frequently affected by fires.
Acting Sergeant Ben Ambler, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Fire crews have been deployed to a number of small deliberate fires over the last month, placing significant demand on their resources. Starting a deliberate fire is dangerous and can endanger lives and cause serious damage to property. It is also a criminal offence.”
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Watch Manager Sy Wray commented: “Operation Fire-Safe is a multi-agency approach to address the problem of fire-setting within the City of York. Deliberately starting fires is against the law and even small fires can endangers lives. Fire spreads quickly and can be unpredictable. By working with partners, we aim to educate children and young adults about the dangers of fire, and for them to understand the potential wider consequences of their actions before somebody suffers serious harm either as a direct, or in-direct result of these incidents.”
“If anyone is worried about a young person playing with fire they can complete a FireSafe referral on our website. We also offer a free online home fire safety check which will help you spot fire risks in your home and offer tips and advice on how to reduce them. Depending on your answers we may ask if we can come to your property and complete a free home fire safety visit.”
A new streamlined process will see the fire service automatically inform the police of any deliberate fires that they are called to, so that appropriate enquiries to identify those responsible can be undertaken. This process has already led to a number of youths being identified and referred to schemes to change their behaviour, including the fire service FireSafe programme.
How can you help?
• Report any build-up of fly-tipping or rubbish to the local authority
• If you have any information about individuals deliberately setting fires, please contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, via the online reporting tool or by emailing yorkcommunitysafetyhub@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk
• If you look after children or young people, ensure you know where they are and what they are doing. It may also be beneficial to explain to them the risks and consequences of setting fires.
