Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service: Our Operational Response 2023-2024

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) has recently published its latest Performance and Improvement Progress Report. 

The report provides a comprehensive overview of MAWWFRS’s performance and operational response from April 2023 to March 2024, including the number and nature of incidents attended, as well as reviewing prevention and response strategies and initiatives undertaken to enhance service delivery.

While it may be a common assumption that Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) predominantly respond to fires, the report has highlighted that the number of fires attended by MAWWFRS over the past year has dropped by almost 15%, from 3,023 incidents in 2022-2023, to 2,582 in 2023-2024.  Fires, whether accidental or deliberate, make up only 19.8% of the total number of incidents attended. 

However, there has been an increase in the number of other types of incidents attended, such as a 2% increase in the total number of incidents attended, and a rise in the number of road traffic collisions and flooding incidents requiring the attendance of MAWWFRS crews.  The number of flooding incidents attended has risen from 349 in 2022-2023, to 393 in 2023-2024, a 12% increase.

False alarms make up the highest percentage of all incidents the Service attends, with almost 6,000 callouts during this period.  To make better use of MAWWFRS’s resources, the Service has recently announced a change to the way it responds to Automatic Fire Alarms from July 1^st 2024.

MAWWFRS provides emergency response cover, home safety checks, business inspections, education programmes and more over approximately 4,500 square miles with a population of over 910,000 people living in more than 430,000 households.  The Service’s 58 Fire Stations cover approximately two-thirds of Wales, with all these services costing each resident within the Service area just £6 a month.

The data from the Performance and Improvement Progress Report has highlighted the dramatic change in the landscape of incidents that FRSs now attend.  This is further supported by Welsh Government’s summary of fire and rescue incidents 2022-2023, which outlines that there has been a downward trend in the number of fires since 2001-2002, with the total number of these incidents falling by almost 70% across Wales.  In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of medically related incidents that MAWWFRS crews have had to respond to (over 1,000 in 2023-2024), with Firefighters receiving additional training on how to deal with medical incidents and new medical equipment, such as defibrillators, have been introduced on fire engines.

Additionally, there has been an increase in the number of road traffic collisions (over 700 in 2023-2024) and flooding related incidents (393 in 2023-2024) MAWWFRS has responded to in recent years, which demonstrates that the public perception of what FRSs do is markedly different to the reality.

Recognising this, the Service has recently launched its Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) 2040, which outlines how MAWWFRS intends to address the risks, threats and challenges facing the communities it serves.  It also highlights how the Service will work to ensure that its assets and resources are used as efficiently and as successfully as possible.  More information on the CRMP 2040 can be seen here.

MAWWFRS is continuously seeking ways of improving and tailoring the services it provides, and the views and opinions of the communities it serves is crucial to this work.  Have your say and help shape the future of your FRS by completing our Have Your Say Survey. 

MAWWFRS is committed to delivering the best possible service for the communities of mid and west Wales.  MAWWFRS is here for you and for more than just fires.  #YourMAWWFRS