Provisional figures show that in 2007 there were 190 accidental dwelling fire deaths in England, down 18 per cent. from the 2006 figure of 233 accidental dwelling fire deaths. This is the lowest figure for accidental dwelling fire deaths in England since 1981.
The fire safety campaign has been running under the Fire Kills brand for the last 10 years and has been a pivotal part of the Government's success in reducing domestic fire deaths. The success of the Fire Kills campaign has been largely due to a series of national advertising campaigns, focused on the use and maintenance of smoke alarms. There is strong evidence that the public respond positively to the campaign's messages, and have bought smoke alarms as a result of them.
The most recent campaign, ‘Pull Your Finger Out’, first ran from January to March 2008. The smoke alarm industry reported a significant increase in sales during this period, while pre- and post-tracking research has shown that the percentage of people who could recall fire safety advertising without being prompted rose from 46 to 64 per cent.