Fewer callouts for fire crews

FIRE crews responded to 616 incidents in Nithsdale last year, of which 345 were false alarms. Only 132 were actually fires and there were 139 non-fire callouts. A total of 33 people were rescued by firefights and 22 needed first aid or hospital treatment, while 14 related to flooding and water rescues. Of the fires, 64 were outdoor, 57 were in buildings; and 34 were classed as ‘accidental dwelling fires’, caused predominantly be cooking appliances, but also by heating equipment and two were related to smoking. Commenting on the overall numbers and trends, fire chiefs said: “616 incidents were recorded in this reporting year, reflecting a decrease of 11 per cent on the previous reporting year. “132 fires reflects a 29 per cent reduction in the previous reporting year. A seven per cent decrease in false alarms has been observed in this reporting period. No fire fatalities have been recorded in this reporting period.”