Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has defended its record at getting to incidents in the county after being rated as having the fifth slowest response time in the UK.

New research has found the areas of the UK with the fastest firefighter response times, with Tyne and Wear taking the top spot, but Suffolk was ranked ifth slowest. 

Personal injury experts at Claims.co.uk analysed data from the Home Office to find the total firefighter response times in each area of the UK for the quarter ending in September 2023.

The average of the call handling times, crew turnout times, and drive times for all types of fires was calculated to determine the final response time and the ranking.  

Suffolk , with a total average response time of 12 minutes and 2 seconds and 1,446 fires. Suffolk's average crew turnout time was revealed to be the slowest in the UK for road vehicle fires, this being an average of 3 minutes and 33 seconds.  

However, a spokesperson for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said that it monitors its speed of response and always seeks to improve performance. 

He said: "We have a performance measure which sets a target of a fire engine in attendance at all incidents within 20 minutes. Our aspiration is to achieve this target for 90 % of incidents. In the last quarter of 2023, this was achieved 93% of the time. The quarter before that was 95% and before that, 96%. Thus, we are performing well in this area," the spokesperson said. 

"Each county will have unique conditions affecting time taken to attend incidents, such as the proximity of the emergency to the fire station, time of day, traffic conditions and the way the local fire station is crewed with either full time or on-call firefighters.

"In Suffolk the average response times range from about seven to 12 minutes.

"As a service we are constantly looking at ways to maintain and improve our speed of response and we regularly benchmark our performance with other fire services across the country."

North Yorkshire is revealed to have the slowest firefighter response time, at 12 minutes and 37 seconds for 1,720 fires. North Yorkshire had the slowest drive times for all fire types at an average of 10 minutes and 44 seconds.  

Cornwall ranks second, with a total response time of 12 minutes and 28 seconds. Cornwall's average crew turnout time for road vehicle fires was 3 minutes and 6 seconds, the second highest in the UK. 

Hereford and Worcester places third, with a total response time of 12 minutes and 19 seconds and 1,194 fires. Hereford and Worcester experienced the second slowest call handling response time for road vehicle fires, averaging 2 minutes and 8 seconds. 

Northumberland follows closely behind, with a total response time of 12 minutes and 10 seconds for 784 fires. Northumberland witnessed the slowest drive time overall for dwelling fires at an average of 7 minutes and 24 seconds.  

A spokesperson from Claims.co.uk has commented on the findings: "It's fascinating to see which areas of the UK have the fastest firefighter response times, as it's certainly reassuring for residents to know that they'll receive help quickly in an emergency.   

"While we don't doubt the selflessness and hard work of firefighters across the UK, the response times could be attributed to a lack of fire departments, equipment, and possibly staff shortages. Fortunately, the study outlines the areas that could benefit from further funding so that residents can receive help much quicker."   

This information was provided by personal injury experts at Claims.co.uk.