FIRE chiefs have hailed a drop in the number of incidents in Annandale and Eskdale last year.
Between April to September 2024, there was a 23 per cent reduction in overall callouts, including deliberate fires dropping by 55 per cent, as well as a 50 per cent decrease in non-domestic fires, 25 per cent less accidental dwelling blazes and 17 per cent fewer false alarms.
In a report to be tabled at this month’s area committee, SC Colin Wallace said: “The performance of the Annandale and Eskdale district has contributed to the Dumfries and Galloway area continuing to be among the best performing areas throughout the whole of Scotland.”
And he revealed their busiest time for callouts remains between 11 am and 10 pm.
Meanwhile, firefighters continue to work tireless to push the safety message, with a focus on those deemed high risk due to age or lifestyle.
They carried out 139 home fire safety visits with 46 of these being classified as high-risk.
SC Wallace added: “Where fires did occur, it is encouraging to highlight that these resulted in no or very little damage, and on most occasions fires were limited to the item first ignited.
“There were no trends or pattern areas identified for the accidental fire dwellings.
“It is pleasing to report that all the dwellings where fires occurred did have automatic detection fitted. Alarms activated in all instances where detection was installed and ensured the residents were
alerted when the alarms activated. The activation of the fire alarms ensured there was an early alert through call centres and the occupiers leading to early intervention before the incident could develop.”
