We define risk as a combination of the likelihood and consequences of hazardous events:

• Hazardous event –an event with the potential to cause harm. This may be referred to as a threat or risk.
• Likelihood –the chance of something happening. This is sometimes also referred to as the probability, frequency or uncertainty of events.
• Consequence – the outcome of an event. Specifically, the severity or extent of harm
  caused by the event.

We have considered three broad areas of risk – fire, road and climate related emergencies, against the definition of risk. We have considered a range of other risks which are also important for us to understand. We have focussed on priority areas that
present the greatest threat or harm to life from a fire and rescue perspective in our
area:

•  Accidental dwelling fire risk and fatality/injury risk
• Road risk and fatality/ serious injury risk
• Climate related risks, such as flooding or wildfires
• Fires which impact businesses.

We have also considered the National Risk Register, and the York and North Yorkshire Community Risk Register created by North Yorkshire’s Local Resilience Forum (NYLRF) which is a partnership of local agencies working together to manage emergencies covering the whole of York and North Yorkshire.

We need to know where vulnerable people live. Having this information helps us plan how best to deliver our services to help prevent fires and other emergencies that could affect them. To help us define what we mean by ‘vulnerable’, we have identified and analysed the factors that put people at an increased likelihood of requiring an intervention or response from our Service.