A reflection on modern life

Domestic fires in Great Britain are to be recorded in a different way following a Home Office plan to update the Incident Recording System (IRS) currently employed.

“Rapid technological change has resulted in many everyday appliances becoming more complex – as have the causes of fires.  So it’s extremely encouraging that there is a willingness to change how domestic fires will be recorded, following our recommendation in April," Phil Buckle of Electrical Safety First said.

Evolving causes of fires

“While the number of fires has not changed drastically in recent years, how they arise has evolved considerably. To provide an in-depth understanding of the various causes of electrical fires, we need to include categories which reflect modern life - such as phone chargers and e-cigarettes. ‘Traditional’ causes of fires, such as trouser press units and hay bales are no longer major categories of fire, as electrical risk has evolved along with 21st century living," Buckle concluded