Prisons lead Buckinghamshire public building fire breakdown
Public buildings in Buckinghamshire have recorded 271 commercial fires per 250,000 people over the past five years.
Research by health and safety consultants Rhino Safety ranked Buckinghamshire third-highest in England on that measure.
The research listed Greater Manchester first with 285 fires per 250,000 people, followed by Staffordshire with 278.
Nottinghamshire and Shropshire completed the top five with 267 and 266 fires per 250,000 people respectively.
Within Buckinghamshire, prisons accounted for 36.9% of commercial fires, followed by retail buildings at 6.7% and industrial manufacturing buildings excluding factories at 4.6%.
Other building categories listed included offices and call centres at 3.5%, permanent agricultural buildings at 3.5%, pre-schools, nurseries or infant primary schools at 3.3%, pubs, wine bars and bars at 3.2%, nursing and care homes at 3.1% and restaurants and cafes at 2.8%.
Ignition sources and causes recorded in Buckinghamshire
A third of ignition sources in Buckinghamshire commercial fires were listed as unspecified at 32.7%.
Wiring, cabling and plugs were the largest listed source at 11.7%, followed by smoking materials at 7.3% and naked flames such as a lighted piece of paper or card at 6.2%.
Batteries and generators accounted for 5.2% pressures, while cookers including ovens accounted for 3.5%.
Other ignition sources listed included cigarette lighters at 2.9%, fluorescent lights at 2.7%, microwave ovens at 2.5%, other industrial equipment at 2.5% and deep fat fryers at 1.7%.
The dataset also reported that 44.4% of fires at Buckinghamshire establishments over the past five years were started deliberately.
Other accidental causes were listed at 18.2%, faulty appliances and leads at 13.5%, faulty fuel supplies at 10.2% and misuse of equipment and appliances at 6.6%.
Rhino Safety comments on end of year safety steps
Simon Walter from health and safety consultancy Rhino Safety said: “With the festive season upon us, safety should still be the number one priority for businesses in the Buckinghamshire area, which have experienced the third-highest number of public building fires since the pandemic.
“With the majority of fires being started deliberately, the first thing business-owners should do is ensure all smoke alarms and sprinkler systems are up to date and working, as well as ensuring access to the building after hours is secured and removing any/all flammable materials, which can help fires spread instantly.
“Almost a quarter (23.8%) of commercial fires are started via faulty appliances, leads or fuel supplies, so business owners must hire a licensed electrician to carry out any work on the premises, as well as carrying out checks on lighting, electricals or other elements that could cause a fire (this is usually covered as part of your annual Fire Risk Assessment).
“User error accounts for one in eight fires (11.7%), including the misuse of equipment or appliances, careless handling of fire or hot substances, or placing articles too close to a heat source.
“These are incidents that can easily be avoided with more fire safety education and training for all staff, as well as ensuring your Fire Risk Assessment is up to date, and that all fire safety equipment is present and in working order.”
The research also set out the building types, ignition sources and stated causes recorded across Buckinghamshire commercial fire incidents over the past five years.