TAYSIDE FIRE and Rescue is one of the best in Scotland when it comes to attending incidents, new statistics have revealed.

According to Audit Scotland, the proportion of its call-outs meeting targets on speed of attendance and number of appliances exceeded the national average, with the exception of low-risk incidents.

Compliance for high-risk call-outs was 92.5%, some 10.9% higher than average.

Tayside was also streets ahead when it came to employee sickness and number of incidents resulting in casualties.

Assistant Divisional Officer David Stapley said, “In general we are very pleased with the figures published by Audit Scotland which show the service is performing well against the other Scottish fire and rescue services.

“We remain focused on continuous improvement and delivering the best quality of service to the communities we serve.

“The figures show that Tayside is a relatively safe place to stay, with the number of incidents resulting in casualties sitting at 1.5 for every 10,000 people.

“However, against the Scottish average of 11.0, the number of accidental house fires for the same population was 11.8.

“Although this figure has shown a decrease from last year’s figure of 12.8 we can never be complacent.

“It is a sad fact that most people who die as a result of fire die in their own home.”

Mr Stapley expressed determination to change Scotland’s record as having western Europe’s highest number of deaths from domestic fires.

He pledged the service would continue the emphasis on prevention and the success of joint initiatives with community safety partners.