London Fire Brigade runs an intensive week-long course for young people delivered by front-line staff in fire stations across London. The Local Intervention Fire Education programme (LIFE) is for young people aged between 13 and 17 who are at risk of social exclusion, involvement in antisocial behaviour or fire-related activity. LIFE teaches young people how to work in teams, communicate and set and achieve goals.
Challenges, such as using breathing apparatus, help young people discover self-confidence and build self-esteem. The fire brigade commissioned an independent evaluation using qualitative and quantitative methods. Data from the evaluation, and from other sources, allows the fire brigade to calculate a saving-to-cost ratio (see below).
| Type of incident |
Average cost for each incident |
Number of incidents prevented for each attendee in a year |
Annual cost saving for each attendee |
| Fires in public places |
£1,650 |
1.08 |
£1,782 |
| Hoax calls to fire service |
£400 |
1.98 |
£792 |
| Vandalism |
£866 |
3.34 |
£2,892 |
| Graffiti |
£100 |
8.02 |
£802 |
The evaluators calculate the saving-to-cost ratio of this programme is £1.85 for every £1 spent on the LIFE course.