You & Your Family
Fire Action Planner
Make an escape plan today and print it out with our interactive Fire Action Planner.
Hoax Calls & Fire Setting
There were an estimated 34,000 deliberate fires in Scotland in 2005.
You might think that's just a lot of burning park bins. You'd be wrong.
Meanwhile, 5762 'hoax' calls put countless lives at risk.
Deliberate Fires
Approximately 70% of all fires in Scotland in 2005 were started deliberately.
Under Scots law, 'fire raising' is a crime. Broadly, this means setting fire to anything that's not yours or starting any fire that could damage property or put lives at risk.
Whatever the intention, any fire can burn out of control.
If you have information on any fire you think is deliberate, call Crimestoppers Scotland on 0800 555 111. Lines are open 24 hours a day and all calls are anonymous.
Visit the Crimestoppers Scotland website''
Signs of Fire-setting and 'Fire Play'
If you are a parent or guardian, you may notice some or all of the following:
- matches or lighters going missing
- flammable liquids going missing
- unexplained burn marks on clothing, furniture, carpets
- unexplained burn marks on the body, especially hands
- smells of smoke on clothes and in hair
- finding piles of partially burned sticks, papers etc, especially in secluded areas
Hoax Calls
Fire & Rescue Services attend to every call they receive.
There were 5762 'malicious false alarms' in Scotland in 2005.
These are not the same as accidental false alarms caused by faulty equipment or where the fire had been put out by the time Fire & Rescue Services arrived.
Whenever they attend a hoax call, that means crews are unavailable to attend to any real fires.
Hoax calling is a crime.
If you have information about hoax calls, contact Crimestoppers Scotland on 0800 555 111. Lines are open 24 hours a day and all calls are anonymous.
