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The Fire Service, during the year 2023, has responded to a total of 11.919 calls for assistance, which involved calls for Fires, Special Services and False Calls.
The year 2023 statistics report numerically and graphically the total number of calls by county.
Also reported is the total number of persons rescued by the Fire Department. The rescues involved persons involved in fires, traffic accidents, technological incidents, industrial accidents, persons trapped in defective lifts, in collapses of buildings or other sub-structures, in tall buildings, as well as rescues from cliffs, from wet elements, mountainous areas, etc.etc.
Report the total number of Special Services calls per month and in general for all of 2023, as well as for each Fire Station and by province.
Report the total number of Fire calls per month and in general for all of 2023, as well as for each Fire Station and by province.
Report the total number of Fire Calls, including all months for the years 2008 - 2023.
Comparative percentage growth rate (monthly and total year) for the years 2022 - 2023.
In addition, for the year 2023, a numerical separation of Rural and Urban fires is provided.
Report the total number of Rural fires, including all months for the years 2008 - 2023.
Comparative percentage growth rate (monthly and total year) for the years 2022 - 2023.
Report the total number of urban fires, including all months for the period 2008 - 2023.
Comparative percentage growth rate (monthly and total year) for the years 2022 - 2023.
Report by month, and overall (numerical and percentage by %), for the type / type of establishments / premises etc,
Describe by month, but also in total (numerically and as a percentage), the causes of the fires that occurred for the year 2023.
Describe by month, but also in total (numerically and as a percentage), the causes of the fires that occurred for the year 2023.
Described by month and in total for the year 2023 (numerically and as a percentage of the total) are the causes of fires in the countryside that occurred.
Described by month, and in total for the year 2023 (numerically and as a percentage of the total), are the causes of Special Services fires responded to.
Described by month, and in total for the year 2023, are the number of false calls by county and Fire Station. Additionally, listed (numerically and as a percentage of the total) are the reasons we were called to respond that related to the False Calls. A relevant analysis on False Calls is provided in section 8.
Review
[*]Introduction
The Fire Service during the year 2023 has responded to a total of 11,919 calls for assistance, which involved calls for Fires, Special Services and False Calls.
2. Fires
The Fire Service has responded to a total of 6,649 fires nationwide. Of these, 3,428 were rural fires and 3,221 were urban fires.
For the years 2022 - 2023, a comparison of increasing trend times % is made. It is found that by the end of the current year there is an increase in the total of all fires (urban - rural) of 3.01%.
3. Outdoor fires
With regard to outdoor fires, there is a slight decrease for 2023 with the total number being 3,428 and the percentage decreasing by 0.49% compared to 2022, when the total number recorded was 3,445.
Although the month of April each year traditionally shows significant increases due to the burning of lamps or burning of other useless objects, which were burned outdoors due to the Easter holidays, the number of fires is down considerably compared to last year. This may be due to the campaigns and measures taken by both the Fire Service and the Police, as well as the Local Authorities, on the occasion of the lamplighter custom. In addition, the number of fires in May and June is significantly lower than last year. However, the number of fires is mainly due to the farmers' bad habit of burning fields after harvesting, as well as to deliberate burning, which takes place outside the legal period and without permission. The increase in fires is typical for the months of November and December, where this seems to be due to the weather conditions with prolonged drought and little rainfall during these months. However, for the year 2023 there is a slight decrease compared to the same period last year. The decrease is due to the Fire Department's prevention campaigns, with both television and radio public awareness campaigns by the Press Spokesperson. In addition, the role of the patrols of both the Police and the Fire Service, the Forestry Department and the Game Service, as well as other organised groups, was also a catalyst.
Regarding the causes of outdoor fires, these are due to burning, deliberate burning, burning of concrete rubble, dumping of cigarette butts, use of tools that cause sparks in the open air, preparation of food in unauthorized places or other human activities in the open air that are likely to cause fires. In addition, it was observed on the basis of some arrests made by the Police following witnesses, as well as on the basis of the circumstances of the place and time of the fires, that a number of them were malicious, particularly in the Limassol and Paphos districts.
It is noted once again that:
a) A large percentage of 63.89% of the total number of 2,130 out of 3,428 rural fires was due to unauthorized fire lighting, which is included in the category of "malicious act".
b) the contribution of the human factor in causing fires in the countryside, with the percentage reaching 90%.
Urban fires
In addition, an increase of 7.15% was observed in urban fires. The number of fires occurring in urban areas in 2023 is 3,221, compared to 3,006 fires occurring in the year 2022. The main locations of urban fires were in lots, motor vehicles, private residences, multi-family apartments, concrete buildings, other outbuildings and other premises, as detailed numerically and by percentage in the table in Appendix 6 titled "Type and Type of Installation".
As for the causes of fires in urban areas, they were mostly due to electrical problems, failure of electrical appliances in dwellings or subpremises, electrical or mechanical problems in vehicles, cigarette butts, malicious acts, arson, defective chimneys and fireplaces, incorrect use of heating and cooking appliances, incorrect or negligent use of tools or appliances in workplaces. A detailed numerical and percentage list of the causes of fires in urban areas is given in the table in Annex 7 entitled 'Causes of fires'. It is found that the human factor played an important role with the causes of fires exceeding 90%.
4. Reference to the burnt area and the economic aspect of fire damage
The burnt area of the countryside is worth mentioning, which is presented for 2023 (21.26 square kilometres) increased by 7.18 square kilometres compared to 2022 (14.08 square kilometres).
The economic aspect of damage is presented slightly increased for 2023.
As recorded damages, roughly estimated by the Fire Service, for 2023 there were total damages of 9,525,145 million euros, of which the amount of 8,444,580 million was related to urban fires and the amount of 1,080,565 million was related to rural fires. In 2022 there was a total amount of damage (EUR 9 491 552 million), of which EUR 8 615 472 million related to urban fires and EUR 876 080 thousand related to rural fires. There is a slight increase in terms of damage, as well as an increase in the number of Fire Service responses involving urban fires for 2023, at a rate of 7.15%. Although the number of urban fires is partially increased, the monetary loss is reduced compared to 2022, down 170,892k in 2023.
In general, the relative stabilization of damage in urban areas, despite the partially increased numerical rate, is due to.
It is estimated that the public also applies voluntary fire safety measures, as well as complies with the suggestions of the Fire Service to observe fire safety measures in premises, which detect the fire in time, thus receiving timely information for response. It is also estimated that fire safety measures are in place for early suppression of a potential fire and limiting its spread.
The small increase in damage and relatively small decrease in the number of wildland fires in 2023 (1.080.565 million), compared to 2022 (876.080 thousand euros), is estimated to be due to the areas that were affected and the premises or equipment that were affected.
It should be noted that the above-mentioned monetary amounts are approximate estimates made by the Fire Service for its own purposes.
5. Total Rescued, Injured and Fatalities from Fires
The total number of persons rescued, injured or killed due to fires was 66, about the same as in the year 2022, when the number was 60. In detail, the Fire Service made 25 fire rescues in 2023 compared to 24 in 2022. There were 36 injuries compared to 31 in 2022 and 5 people died in fires, exactly the same number as the same period last year
6. Special Services
The number of Special Services responses for 2023 shows an increase of 10.21% compared to 2022. For the most part, the Fire Department's Special Services responses are focused on evacuations of persons trapped in faulty elevators, responses to flooding involving stormwater pumping from residences or other structures, towing or rescuing persons trapped in their vehicles in flooded roads, opening storm water drains, preventing accidents, rescuing animals, responding to traffic collisions and rescuing persons, assisting in the transport of patients, assisting the police in various incidents. A detailed status of the Causes of response to Special Services in number and as a percentage is presented in the table in Annex 9.
Also, the Fire Service, in addition to the rescues as mentioned in paragraph 6, in the year 2023, rescued 2,192 persons. The rescues involved persons involved in fires, traffic collisions, technological disasters, industrial accidents, entrapment in defective elevators, rescues of persons after collapses of buildings or other shelters, rescues from tall buildings, from wet elements, wells and from mountainous areas.
Of the 2,192 people the Fire Service was called to assist for purposes other than fires, 269 suffered injuries and 49 ended in death.
7. False calls
False calls are divided into three categories.
- Malicious: These are calls that are false and are made solely with malicious intent.
- With good intent: Refers to calls that are not made with malicious intent but are made by individuals who detect features in the environment that resemble a fire, such as dust in the open air produced by an agricultural tractor plowing a field, which is perceived by passers-by as a fire.
- Due to mechanical or electrical failure: Sounding of alarm systems without there being a fire because they have suffered mechanical or electrical failure.
Overall, the number of false calls for 2023 is 652, up slightly from 2022 when the number was 603. The vast majority of the False Calls, which reaches 99%, are well-intentioned calls. This demonstrates the public's hypersensitivity to prevention and early warning of suppression teams
8. Useful conclusions / observations
It is found that, regardless of the general assessment of the numbers of fires with fluctuating trends, more than 90% of the fires were caused by the human factor and human activity.
In addition, general conclusions in the assessment of a year should not only be made on the basis of Fire or Special Service numbers, but also on the basis of property damage, loss of life or injuries.
Despite the difficult environmental conditions prevailing, especially during the fire season, the aggressive tactics employed by the Fire Service with ground and air forces from the initial stage of fires prove to be catalytic in containing wildland fires. In addition, it is observed that the immediacy of fire brigade intervention in Urban Fires or Special Services for rescue purposes limits the damage, both to property and human lives, to a minimum.
In addition to these, catalytic factors for the frequency of Rural/Urban or Special Services fires provided by the Fire Service are. [*]The prevention measures taken by all Services, both Suppression and Prevention Services. [*]Human conscientiousness, which is developed through the prevention and public awareness campaigns, so that human activities that can cause fires are considerably reduced, whether in urban or rural areas. In addition, an important factor in reducing damage is the timely information received by suppression forces when a fire is detected. [*]Public awareness and willingness to observe, record and report malicious or incendiary acts to the police. [*]Patrols, staffing of Outdoor Stations and cooperation in these matters with all suppression agencies. [*]The contribution of the Police to the investigation of the causes of fires through investigative action and the bringing of guilty persons to justice.
(AF/GC)
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