Fire deaths fall to 50-year low

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Fire-related deaths are at their lowest level in England for 50 years, partly due to improvements in prevention work, a report has found.

The Audit Commission study found all fire services were on track to meet government targets for reducing fire-related deaths by 20% by 2010.

But there were signs that the performance of fire services in preventing blazes was levelling off.

The report also said the service's workforce needed to be more diverse.

Chairman of the Audit Commission, Michael O'Higgins, said the study revealed a "positive picture of fire fighting across England".

He said: "For fire services to continue to improve we will need to see even greater targeting of resources at vulnerable communities and we will need to address the lack of diversity in the fire workforce.

"This is important if fire services are to effectively communicate messages about fire safety and prevention to local people, and reach people from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, some of whom are at high risk from fire deaths."