Fire Service Direct - Free home fire safety checks

The Fire & Civil Defence Authority has adopted challenging targets for the reduction of death, injury and the financial costs of fire loss. As part of this strategy we have made a substantial commitment of resources to create ' Fire Safe' communities across Merseyside.

The Service, mindful of the Authority's targets and also the Prime Minister's challenge to extend access to public services via electronic means, has created "Fire Service Direct". This will form a major element of the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service's approach to fire safety issues.


The targets will be achieved, in the main, by a programme of home fire safety checks. It was soon recognised that the soliciting of appointments, by community fire fighters, was a comparatively inefficient use of resources, deflecting from the primary aim of completing Home Fire Risk Assessments (HFRA) and where necessary providing smoke alarms.

Our solution has been to create a new Call Centre at Service Head Quarters, Bridle Road, Bootle. The call centre is a dynamic and modern office staffed by motivated and enthusiastic people. Fire Service Direct is able to arrange over 50,000 appointments each year. It also acts as a signposting service for other departments within the Fire Service.




Fire Service Direct manages the appointments process, liaising with householders and the 26 fire stations in our region. The contact centre also handles incoming calls to the Fire Service's free phone number. This approach to contacting members of the public is proving to be highly effective.
Alan Filson, Manager of Fire Service Direct said;
"We are absolutely delighted to be working in Fire Service Direct as part of Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service. Merseyside have been the forerunners in Community Fire Safety from the outset. It's great to be able to use our skills and experience in a project that will make such a significant difference to the people we contact."
Freephone Number 0800 731 5958