08 Jul 2013
Firefighters in England are rescuing more people from road crashes than house fires, according to the latest data.
Figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government show that 23,600 people were rescued by fire and rescue services in England following crashes on the road in the three years ending March 2012.
During the same period, about 3,600 people were rescued from accidental house fires across the country.
The statistics were released to mark the start of the United Kingdom Rescue Challenge 2013, which was held in Liverpool over the weekend of July 5.
Teams from 39 fire and rescue services across the UK were in attendance, including Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service which staged the event.
Challenges such as rope rescue, casualty management/trauma care, extrication/vehicle rescue, water rescue and urban search and rescue were all on the agenda.
Four teams from Spain, Turkey, Macedonia and Austria were also on hand to display their skills and offer advice.
The event gives the public an insight into the range of equipment and capabilities as well as how highly skilled firefighters and search and rescue technicians are in modern fire and rescue services.
Copyright Press Association 2013