AFTER a year of successfully achieving its objectives, Hampshire Fire and Rescue launched its updated annual three-year plan last week on making Hampshire a safer place to be.

This year the plan includes five aims to be achieved by 2010 - the aims focus on the reduction of deaths and injuries from accidental fires, deliberate fires and the overall number of fires.

The service also aims to be in the top ten fire and rescue services in the country.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue has achieved its aim of reducing the number of fires in buildings by three per cent by the end of 2006 and has successfully invested resources in community safety activities, including the home fire safety visit programme. In fact, the service has now undertaken 20,000 home fire safety visits in local communities in Hampshire.

The newly formed arson reduction team has vastly improved the detection of rate of arsonists, helping to reduce incidents of deliberately started fires.

The service has also continued to educate hundreds of school children in not only fire safety awareness but, for the first time, have incorporated water safety messages into lesson plans.

Around 2,500 local businesses have been reached with important information concerning their changed fire safety responsibilities under a new fire safety order, saving them from possible prosecution.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue has been instrumental in developing national guidance on sprinklers and has introduced sprinklers to almost 30 residential care homes throughout Hampshire in partnership with Hampshire County Council.

The service's chief officer, John Bonney, said of the updated safety plan: "Every year I am amazed with how much has been achieved by our firefighters and our support staff to make Hampshire safer - and this last year is no different.

"It is through their continued support and innovation that you will see so many achievements highlighted in the plan and a range of stretching and challenging targets for the future.

"The plan outlines how we will make even better use of our resources and focus on the reduction of local risks to protect every member of the local community, whether at home, at leisure or in their place of work.

"Most importantly, it shows how we, through our aims and objectives, will continue saving lives."