The short film exposing the real cost of deliberate fire setting

by Featured NewsSafety

TWFRS launches film to combat deliberate fire setting

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) has launched a short film to highlight the real impact of deliberate fire setting across the North East.

The campaign comes as the service prepares for one of its busiest periods of the year following the clocks going back on Sunday 26 October 2025.

According to TWFRS, firefighters responded to 683 deliberate fires between 17 October and 17 November 2024.

These incidents involved crews being mobilised to nearly 700 avoidable callouts, diverting resources from potentially life-threatening emergencies.

The new campaign aims to prevent a repeat of these numbers by raising public awareness of the consequences of anti-social fire behaviour.

Just A Normal Day film launched in Gateshead

At the centre of the initiative is Just A Normal Day, a short film commissioned and funded by TWFRS.

The project was developed in collaboration with Digital Voice, Gateshead Council and Gateshead Youth Justice Service.

Based on real events, the film tells the story of a serious deliberate fire through the perspectives of those affected and the professionals involved in prevention and response.

TWFRS confirmed that Just A Normal Day will form part of its Fire Safety Intervention Programme.

The programme supports young people under 18 who are involved in, or at risk of, fire setting by helping them and their families understand the dangers and long-term consequences.

Community and police partnership during darker nights

Paul Russell, Area Manager for Community Safety at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Deliberate fires have a devastating impact on our community – they destroy property, harm the environment, and in the worst cases, cost lives.

“Even a small fire can quickly get out of control, putting both the person who started it and others at serious risk.

“Every year, our crews attend thousands of deliberate fires, draining resources and potentially delaying responses to life-threatening emergencies.

“We urge everyone to consider the consequences of anti-social behaviour – deliberate fire-setting isn’t just dangerous, it can be deadly.”

Chief Inspector Rob Bosson of Northumbria Police said: “We hope everyone across the North East enjoys the upcoming Bonfire Night period.

“As always, we’ll be working closely with our partners during this time to deal with any issues as they arise and to proactively prevent any disorder from occurring.

“But we’d also like to ask people to exercise some personal responsibility around what they are doing and how it might affect those who may not feel as comfortable with the darker nights.

“As a Force, our priority is to keep the public safe and our multi-agency operation is in place to do just this.

“Anybody who is concerned about anti-social behaviour in their area is asked to report it to us by speaking to an officer on patrol, by sending us a direct message on our social media channels, or by getting in touch on our website.

“If a crime is ongoing, always call 999.”

Reporting deliberate fire setting

TWFRS is encouraging professionals working with young people to use Just A Normal Day as a discussion tool to illustrate the human cost of deliberate fire behaviour.

The film can be viewed on the TWFRS website under the Fire Safety Interventions page.

The public can report deliberate fire setting anonymously through FireStoppers.

Reports can be made by calling 0800 169 5558 or visiting www.firestoppersreport.co.uk.

Addressing deliberate fire risk through prevention and intervention

The TWFRS campaign is directly relevant to fire prevention officers, community safety leads and youth intervention practitioners.

It demonstrates how fire services can combine education, film media and partnership working to reduce deliberate fire incidents.

The inclusion of the film within the Fire Safety Intervention Programme shows a structured approach to early prevention targeting at-risk youth.

For law enforcement and local authority safety teams, the campaign highlights coordinated strategies for handling anti-social behaviour linked to fire setting.

Operational fire commanders and resource planners may also draw on the data shared by TWFRS to anticipate seasonal risk increases during darker nights and adjust deployment accordingly.

Fire Service receive Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers accolade at House of Commons

by EventsPeople

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) was honoured to recently be named as one of the country’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers.

As part of the accolade, earlier this week (Tuesday 10th September) a representative from TWFRS proudly attended the House of Commons for a special lunch reception hosted by Baroness Smith, Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education for the recipients of the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers award.

The announcement by the prestigious apprenticeship index has placed Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service among highly respected public and private sector organisations. 

Over the past six years, TWFRS have successfully delivered 145 in-house and externally operated apprenticeships, with results including 122 passes and 23 distinction grades. 

The workforce areas to benefit from the varying courses have been accountancy, community safety advisors, data protection, firefighter control, heavy vehicle technicians, learning and development consultant business partners, management and operational firefighters.

Dale Howey, Head of Learning & Development at TWFRS, said: “It was an honour and a privilege to attend the House of Commons to receive our award on behalf of the Service, our apprentices and the communities that we represent and protect across Tyne and Wear.

“To be amongst the gathered representatives from the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers epitomised all of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes at TWFRS to help nurture the future generations of fire service employees.  We will use this recognition as a springboard to excel and develop for the years ahead.

“We would also like to thank all of the firefighters for their efforts in ensuring they engage with the development of the apprentices, and to the wider Learning and Development team who help to bring the programme to life.”

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service currently has 71 TWFRS employees taking part in the Apprenticeship Programme, with an additional 25 people starting in September.

The Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers* celebrates England’s outstanding apprenticeship employers and helps future apprentices, parents and careers advisers to identify apprenticeship opportunities at the country’s leading employers.

*Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service were placed 88th.

Lynsey McVay, Assistant Chief Fire Officer at TWFRS, said: “We are proud as a service to receive this prestigious accolade of being named amongst the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers.

“It perfectly reflects all of the hard work delivered over the last six years as the apprenticeship scheme epitomises our investment in education and career development.  The beneficiaries of this work aren’t just the employees but their colleagues and the community which they both protect and represent.”

Every new emergency contact handler, community safety advisor and operational firefighter is enrolled on to the apprenticeship scheme. This allows them to study and develop as part of their on-the-job training once they start in their new role.

For further information about the work being delivered in the community by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, please visit www.twfire.gov.uk.