Control theory and fire injury prevention

Abstract

Fire prevention can be viewed as a set of actions intended to reduce the incidence of fires and associated injuries and fatalities. Typically fire prevention activities will be aimed at particular sub-groups within the population of a geographic area covered by a given fire and rescue service, and types of behaviours associated with fire risk. In this article we examine the application of control theory for fire injury prevention. In particular, we examine the different fire injury prevention activities used by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service in the North West of England, and how the targeted use of fire prevention activities such as home fire safety checks was assessed and optimised using control theory.