Annual Report 2024-25

Our vision is a Cheshire with zero deaths, injuries, and damage from fires and other emergencies. Over the past 12 months, our dedicated firefighters, community safety colleagues, and fire staff have worked hard towards achieving that goal.

This page presents an overview of our key performance measures during 2024/25. If you would like to explore any of these figures or our performance in other areas in more detail, you can find them in the report presented to the Cheshire Fire Authority’s Performance and Overview Committee in July 2025.

Incidents we attend

In spite of the population of Cheshire increasing, the number of incidents we attend continues to fall overall. For example, compared with 2023/24, we attended 113 fewer fires overall, but 18 more accidental house fires.

Other incidents include responses to automatic fire alarms - an increase from last year, that we are still working to reduce - deliberate fires, rescues of people from water or height, animal rescues and assisting other agencies, such as the ambulance service.

If you’re interested in the incidents we attend, why not follow our live incident feed?

Live incidents

Saving lives

The number of accidental house fires we attended increased by 18 compared with 2023/24. The number that started in the kitchen increased by 4% and those that were cooking related remained the same. Other common causes of house fires include electrical faults, smoking and domestic appliances.

There was one fire death, a decrease of six deaths from the previous year, but 28 more fire injuries in 2024/25. It should be noted that not all deaths and injuries happen in a domestic setting.

Protecting lives and property

Safe and Well visits are our flagship community safety intervention. Our prevention team and firefighters beat their target of increasing the number of visits to most people at risk of fire, with over 29,000 visits.

Our business safety inspectors, business safety team and firefighters also beat their targets for engaging with non-domestic premises through a programme of inspections, audits and engagement events.

Changing lives

Over 8,000 children, young people and older people visited Safety Central, our immersive safety and life skills education centre, during 2024/25.

Our Prince’s Trust Team had a revamp to the King’s Trust Programme, with more than 160 young people taking part, and more than 130 young people also took part in our fire cadet scheme. Both programmes operate from some of our fire stations.

Our volunteer programme also continued to go from strength to strength.

Value for money

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service cost just under £52m in 2024/25, funded from a combination of council tax, business rates and central government grants.

Much more detail about our income and expenditure can be found in our Statement of Accounts.

You can also read about how we intend to become even more efficient and productive.

Our people

Did you know that Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is now more diverse than ever before? This enables to better and understand and serve our communities, and ensures we are a safe, positive and inclusive place to work or volunteer.

Take a look at our latest Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report and Gender Pay Gap Report for more information.

Cheshire Fire Authority

The Fire Authority is the publicly accountable body that manages Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service. It comprises 23 elected members (or councillors) who represent the our four local authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, and Warrington.