Annual Fire Fighting Report: Less Casualties, More Arson
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The annual Fire Fighting and Rescue Authority Report: Less casualties in fires, more fires in open areas due to arson and terrorist activities
Less casualties in fire incidents, more calls to the fire fighting services emergency centers and more fires raging in open areas.
These are the main issues mentioned in the Fire Fighting and Rescue Authority’s annual report, published recently. The report explains that terrorists and arsonists are responsible for fires aimed at damaging forested areas, although some incidents are caused by careless travelers or the weather.
During 2013 18 people were killed in fires, compared to 23 in 2012. Among those 18, 12 were killed in fires caused by flaming mattresses or by using faulty heating appliances.
iHLS – Israel Homeland Security
Haim Tamam, Chief Safety and Investigations Officer for the Fire Fighting Authority, explained that the most common causes of fires are: Arson – 37% of cases; electric failures – 23%; negligence – 5%. In addition, the annual report explains that there’s been a rise of 6% in the number of cases the authority dealt with: In 2013 there were 94,920 incidents, compared to 89,585 in 2012. There were, however, less incidents of building fires.
The report summarizes the main activities of the Fire Fighting and Rescue Authority, some based on lesson learned in previous years: Increased fire fighting power, more fire fighters, much more extensive training and more airborne fire fighting activities.
