Rising numbers of casualties have made road safety a high strategic priority for the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA).

Official figures showed there were 1,775 reported road deaths in Britain in 2014, an increase of 4% compared with 2013. The number of those killed or seriously injured increased by 5% to 24,582.

These figures have contributed to CFOA increasing its efforts to reduce road collisions, including holding a safety week in June each year.

One of the leading emergency services for road safety is Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS).

It won Brake’s road safety in the community award in 2014 and has also received the Tyresafe emergency services award for the past two years.

Peter Shields, assistant road safety officer, says an increasing number of fleets are asking it to deliver presentations for the benefit of their staff.

“Companies have a duty of care to their employees to provide them with health and safety information and, while fleet managers can provide this, information coming from the fire service or police will perhaps carry more weight,” he says. “There’s also an element of trust with us because if we go and deliver something it will be right: we’re not  going to go and say something when in actual fact it’s  something different.”

Although Shields says an increasing number of companies are contacting CFRS, most of its community work takes place elsewhere.

“We hold road safety events in all sorts of different places – workplaces, supermarkets, schools and fire stations.

“At these events, we wash the vehicle but also test tyre pressures, tread depth, wiper blades and top up the windscreen washer fluid if necessary,” he says.

During Brake Safety Week, which runs from November 23-29, CFRS will hold more than 30 events.

“The fire crews have to identify something in their area which they feel they have to address,” says Shields.

“In some areas it may be that cycling is an issue, in some areas it may be children crossing the road and in other areas it may be fleet vehicles having road traffic collisions.

“We don’t restrict our activity to just this week, though – it’s year-round for us: it’s all about getting the safety message across to as many people as possible.

“If you give people a leaflet, it’s not likely to change the way they drive or behave, but it’s that drip, drip, drip effect – the more information they get, the more likely it is that they will change.

“Sustained, long-term education changes people’s views.”

Road safety initiatives

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service’s (CFRS) road safety initiatives include:

Motorway engagement days (MEDs) Cheshire has 212 miles of motorways and MEDs highlight issues such as vehicle maintenance, close driving, tyres and tiredness.

Chief Fire Officers Association National Safety Week Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service targeted road safety messages to road users.

Drive Survive This driver education programme is aimed at young adults aged 16 to 25. More than 20,000 people have taken part since its launch in 2000.

Chief Fire Officers Association Tyresafe winter driving event CFRS leads this campaign by organising winter driving events and awareness days.

School presentations CFRS delivers presentations to 130 primary schools and 21 secondary schools.

FireBike CFRS uses its FireBike to engage with motorcyclists and promote enhanced rider training to reduce the number of motorcyclists killed or  seriously injured. It introduced its  Biker Down course this year.