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FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS => Fire Safety => Topic started by: Chris Houston on May 09, 2005, 09:52:02 PM

Title: National Cost of Fire in Schools - 2004 figures out
Post by: Chris Houston on May 09, 2005, 09:52:02 PM

National Cost of Fires in School

These are the direct costs, i.e. loss of buildings and contents, it doesn't factor in indirect costs such as bussing kids to alternative locations, hiring temporary accomodation, loss staff morale, community facilities etc etc

1995 - £49m
1996 - £55m
1997 - £51m
1998 - £45m
1999 - £42m
2000 - £65m
2001 - £93m
2002 - £96.6m
2003 - £73.4m
2004 - £83m

As you can see, the trend is still getting worse.  About 90% of these losses are deliberatly set.  None of them were in fully sprinklered schools.

Title: National Cost of Fire in Schools - 2004 figures out
Post by: jayjay on May 10, 2005, 12:21:34 PM

Can you provide details of where the figures came from and any links.

Title: National Cost of Fire in Schools - 2004 figures out
Post by: Chris Houston on May 10, 2005, 01:27:30 PM

They came from Zurich Municipal, my employers.  We calculate the figures from our own loss statistics.  We insure the vast majority of the schools in the UK, so it's fairly easy to calculate the figures based on our own info.

Title: National Cost of Fire in Schools - 2004 figures out
Post by: messy on May 10, 2005, 10:31:42 PM

Chris

I am intrigued about the 2002 to 2003 reduction. Why the significant (£23m) drop in that year?

Statistical blip or something else??

Title: National Cost of Fire in Schools - 2004 figures out
Post by: Chris Houston on May 10, 2005, 10:42:25 PM

It's very hard to tell, you never know the fires you prevented, only the ones you didn't.

It could be luck, it could be the efforts of all parties involved in fire prevention, the figures for any specific year can be skewed by one or two large losses and I would suggest it's only relevant to look at the underlying trend.