Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS) is handling 999 calls quicker and getting to fires faster, new data from the Home Office shows.

The performance data for the 2023/24 financial year is the first opportunity to benchmark BFRS’ performance against other fire services.

The service recorded the largest annual reduction of all 44 English fire services for its average crew turnout times for primary fires.

The turnout time of crews reduced from 140 seconds to 116 seconds and, since reporting began in 2010, this is the first year the BFRS average has been less than two minutes.

Improvement has also been seen in average call-handling times for primary fires, moving the service from 29th in the rankings to 19th. This year-on-year reduction of 20 seconds in the average call-handling time for attended primary fires was also the largest annual reduction recorded by the 44 English fire services. 

As a result, average response time for primary fires (from  the time of the 999 call to the time the first fire engine arrives on scene) reduced by 41 seconds, taking the service from 22nd of all English fire services to 18th.   

Area Commander Stuart Auger, head of response at BFRS, said: "Operational colleagues have been working hard this past year to improve how quickly they get out the door once the bells go down because, as we know, every second counts.

"Those little improvements both on station and in our fire control have cemented into lasting change that is benefitting the communities of Bedfordshire, as we do our best to keep them safe."

Acting chief fire officer Jim Davies, director of service delivery, added: "Our service has been on a significant improvement journey long before I joined in May, so I am pleased to inherit a team that is heading in the right direction.

"These improvements are a testament to everyone in BFRS and the efforts to create a step change in our response times.

"Whilst we are delighted with these figures, we are by no means complacent, and we know that improvement is a continuous journey.

"Today is a day when everyone in BFRS can be proud of how far we’ve come together so far."