A widely held image of the Fire Brigade is of fire engines racing to the scene of a fire, road traffic accident or other emergency incident to render assistance.

Responding quickly, safely and effectively to 999 (112) calls is a vital part of what the Fire & Rescue Service does and will continue to do. However, in seeking to improve community safety the Service is shifting focus.

Today the emphasis is on making our communities safer places to live, work and visit. More effort is going into preventing emergencies before they happen, and making the public more aware of risk in the environment.

East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service has a dedicated Community Fire Safety Section, and trying to keep people safe from fire is now the lead activity of the Service. Everyone working for the Service is, in one way or another, aiming to make East Sussex a safer place and improve well being in local communities.

In order to raise awareness of the dangers of fire, the Service undertakes a number of activities:

• Visiting all primary schools in the County once every 2 years to give structured fire safety lessons to children.
• Involvement in national, regional and local campaigns. Examples include supporting the national "Excuses kill. Get a Smoke Alarm" campaign, the Service's continuing work for the introduction of legislation to have domestic sprinklers installed in dwellings, and local campaigns in response to incidents.
• Dealing with the print and broadcast media on a daily basis, highlighting the causes of fire and preventative steps that can be taken.
• Regular fire safety features on radio and in print media.
• Investigating the causes of fire and identifying trends so that appropriate resources can be directed to the necessary areas.
• Supporting fire stations with their open days, local campaigns and initiatives.
• Attending high profile public events, where fire safety advice can be given to a large audience. Examples include 999 Emergency Services events in Brighton & Hove, Eastbourne and Hastings, the Heathfield Agricultural Show and the Bentley Fire Show.
• Giving fire safety presentations to community groups.
• Working in partnership with other agencies such as the police and local councils, targeting specific problems e.g. working to reduce the number of deliberate car fires in towns.
• A juvenile firesetter advisors scheme dealing with children who are fascinated by fire. By dealing with the children on a one-to-one basis, the programme investigates why young people start fires and aims to help them understand and change their behaviour..