Official Statistics

Flooding and water rescue incidents dataset guidance

Updated 23 August 2024

Applies to England

Publishing Incident Recording System data on the fire and rescue service at an incident level:

Frequency of release: Annual

First publication: 31 January 2019

Latest update: 30 July 2024

Forthcoming releases: Home Office statistics release calendar

Home Office responsible statistician: Helene Clark

Press enquiries: pressoffice@homeoffice.gov.uk

Telephone: 0300 123 3535

Public enquiries: firestatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk

1. Background

Data quality

Incident records in the Incident Recording System (IRS) are the responsibility of and quality assured by fire and rescue services (FRSs). The Home Office and FRSs are working on improving the data within the IRS and possible inconsistencies, having said that the IRS was not designed with record level datasets in mind and so there may well be other issues.

IRS incident records are a judgement call of the lead fire officer at the time of the incident. The quality of the information provided by fire and rescue services is variable and its accuracy cannot be guaranteed, especially at a record level, for instance some records involve estimation by those in attendance.

Dataset rationale

The Home Office regularly receive requests regarding water rescues and FRSs contribute to the National Water Safety Forum. This dataset provides this information but not at such a precise level that personal data could be identified and/or linked from other datasets.

Dataset definition

The flooding and water rescue incidents dataset covers incidents involving flooding or rescue/evacuation from water that took place in England attended by any FRS (whether they are English, Welsh or Scottish FRSs). The Home Office only has jurisdiction for fire policy in England and therefore has published incident data for England only.

The data in this dataset is consistent with records that reached the IRS by 15 May 2024.

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2. Variable by variable - scene setting

Variable Name: FRS_TERRITORY
Variable Description: The FRS in which the incident took place
IRS Question: 1.6

The fire and rescue service (FRS) in which the incident took place, not necessarily the FRS which responded. Occasionally an FRS will respond to an incident “over the border”, and because of this users should be careful about making general comments about particular FRSs as some incidents may have been attended by other FRSs. This dataset only covers incidents that took place in England.

Due to data protection issues, and in line with other datasets, we have merged Isles of Scilly data with Cornwall, as the number of flooding or rescue/evacuation from water incidents in Isles of Scilly is minimal. There were 19 flooding and water rescue incidents in Isles of Scilly between the financial year 2010 to 2011 and the financial year 2023 to 2024.

Figures for Dorset and Wiltshire, who merged into one FRS on 1 April 2016, are presented merged.

Figures for Hampshire and Isle of Wight, who merged into one FRS on 1 April 2021, are presented merged.

Variable Name: E_CODE_TERRITORY
Variable Description: The E Code of the FRS
IRS Question: 1.6 (based on)

The standard National Statistics code (E Code) of the fire and rescue service (FRS) in FRS_TERRITORY. In this case the code for Cornwall has been used for the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly combined FRS.

Due to data protection issues, and in line with other datasets, we have merged Isles of Scilly data with Cornwall. There were 19 flooding and water rescue incidents in Isles of Scilly between the financial year 2010 to 2011 and the financial year 2022 to 2023.

Variable Name: LSOA_CODE
Variable Description: The Lower Layer Super Output Area in which the incident took place
IRS Question: 4 (based on)

A Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) is a geographic area. Lower Layer Super Output Areas are a geographic hierarchy designed to improve the reporting of small area statistics in England and Wales. These LSOAs have been updated in the 2021 Census so are different to those used previous (which are from the 2011 Census). Further information can be found on the ONS Website.

Variable Name: LSOA_DESCRIPTION
Variable Description: The description of the Lower Layer Super Output Area in which the incident took place
IRS Question: 4 (based on)

A Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) is a geographic area. Lower Layer Super Output Areas are a geographic hierarchy designed to improve the reporting of small area statistics in England and Wales. These LSOAs have been updated in the 2021 Census so are different to those used previous (which are from the 2011 Census). Further information can be found on the ONS Website.

Variable Name: FINANCIAL_YEAR
Variable Description: The financial year the incident took place
IRS Question: 2.1 (based on)

A financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March. Record level information is published from the financial year 2010 to 2011 - although the IRS began in April 2009 there are a few minor issues with the the financial year 2009 to 2010 records which mean that while statistics at higher levels are robust some of the incident level records are not of a sufficient quality to publish. Incidents are allocated to financial year depending on the time of the call, which is usually collected through automatic systems, so for example an incident where the call was made at 23.59 on March 31 2010 but the incident was closed at 01.34 on April 1 2010 would be allocated to the financial year 2009 to 2010 not the financial year 2010 to 2011.

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3. Variable by variable - incident

Variable Name: LOCATION_TYPE
Variable Description: The location of the incident
IRS Question: 3.2

Some categories have been combined for personal data reasons and others for ease of use. Incident locations are categorised into one of the 15 following types (customised for this dataset) -

1. Canal/riverbank vegetation
2. Dwellings
3. Other buildings
4. Road vehicles
5. River/canal
6. Barge
7. Lake/pond/reservoir
8. Sea
9. Beach
10. Bridge
11. Domestic garden (vegetation not equipment)
12. Road surface/pavement
13. Cycle path/public footpath/bridleway
14. Pipes and drains
15. Other

Variable Name: INCIDENT_TYPE
Variable Description: The type of incident
IRS Question: 3.3

Incidents are categorised into one of the 7 following types-

1. Flooding - Advice only
2. Flooding - Stand by (no action)
3. Flooding - Pumping
4. Flooding - Make safe
5. Flooding - Other including Evacuation
6. Rescue or evacuation from water
7. Not known

“Flooding - Make safe” was only introduced to the IRS in 2012, therefore those incidents would probably be recorded as “Flooding - Other including Evacuation” until that point. 37 records in the financial year 2010 to 2011 and the financial year 2011 to 2012 have an unknown incident type but are included to ensure the totals match other sources.

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4. Variable by variable - outcomes

Variable Name: EVACUATIONS
Variable Description: The number of people evacuated
IRS Question: 9.3

An evacuation is the direction of people from a dangerous place to somewhere safe. This variable is the number of people who were evacuated from the incident, unharmed but with assistance from FRS personnel. Those who are rescued or rescued with an injury are not included in those that are evacuated from the incident.

For evacuations from incidents attended by FRSs, the IRS records how many there were in 8 separate bands (for example, 6 to 20 means there were between 6 and 20 evacuations, 21 to 50 means between 21 and 50 evacuations).

Variable Name: EVACUATIONS_CODE
Variable Description: A code to help users analyse data
IRS Question: 9.3

Because all of the options in the evacuations variable contains letters (for example, Up to 5) this code has been added after feedback from users to aid analysis.

Variable Name: RESCUES
Variable Description: Whether the incident involved a rescue
IRS Question: 9.13

A rescue is where person has received physical assistance to get clear of the area involved in the incident. A baby carried out in the course of another person’s escape is not included as a rescue, however if a rescuer (including FRS personnel) entered the building or other area affected by the water in order to rescue the baby, then the baby is recorded as a rescue.

A removal of a fatality is not recorded as a rescue, except where a rescue took place in circumstances which might have resulted in a life being saved even if the person did not survive the rescue attempt.

Where “don’t know” is recorded for whether a rescue occurred, it is not included in this variable.

Variable Name: FATALITY_CASUALTY
Variable Description: Whether the incident involved a fatality or casualty
IRS Question: Combination of 9.6 and 9.21

This records whether the incident involved at least one fatality or one casualty from the incident. Due to data protection considerations no more detailed information on casualties and fatalities is given.

To be consistent with published statistics, the variable combines all “fatalities” and all “non-fatal casualties”.

Casualties include those with injuries requiring hospital attention, those requiring first aid at the scene and those given advice to have precautionary checks (whether they then take that advice or not).