A Message from Leeds Arson Task Force…..
It may surprise many of you to know that nearly 80% of all the fires attended by your local fire station have been set deliberately. Most of these fires can be put down to anti-social behaviour and are often started by young children and youths.
Because firefighters have to spend so much time dealing with rubbish fires, it means that there is less time to spend on important life-saving work such as visiting homes to give fire safety advice and fitting smoke alarms. It also means that when your local firefighters are out dealing with a rubbish fire, there are time delays when responding to real emergencies in your area, because crews have to travel from further afield to deal with it.
Each time firefighters are called to a rubbish fire, it costs the tax payer around £2,000 and each time they attend a car fire it costs around £4,400.
In the run-up to Bonfire Night, unfortunately we expect there to be an increase in deliberate fires. However, there are many things you could do to help Leeds Arson Task Force stop these unnecessary fires.
- It is very important that rubbish is not allowed to build up. This attracts anti-social behaviour and children on the lookout for setting fires.
- If possible, only put your wheelie bins out on the day of collection and then put them back again storing them away from the building.
- If you suspect anyone of fly-tipping, please record the vehicle details and pass the information to the police.
If you see children/youths lighting fires it is very important that you report it to the police. It may just seem like a game, but it could easily end in tragic consequences either for the children or someone else.
If you don’t want to contact the police directly you can do so via Crimestoppers – see below for their number.
0800 555 111 – With Crimestoppers you can safely report arson or any other crime without anybody knowing it is you who has called – the calls are not tape recorded and don’t appear on itemised bills.
You can also contact the Leeds Arson Task Force directly on 0113 249 7839.