£87m cost of arson attacks revealed

Officers said the number of small deliberate fires traditionally “spiked” in summer, and said they wanted to highlight the drain they place on resources as well as the “significant” risk to life.

The brigade said some initiatives have already had a massive impact on reducing the number of deliberate fires, with half the number of incidents recorded in 2010 compared with 2006.

This year’s campaign will continue to engage with young people on a one-to-one level and through schools, whilst advising residents how to reduce their own arson risk.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s head of community safety Steve Makepeace, said: “Anti-social behaviour fires are a massive, costly problem for the whole of South Yorkshire.

“Small fires, such as grass and bin fires, are not harmless fun. They can quickly escalate, threatening life and property, as well as diverting firefighting resources from potentially more serious incidents.”

Firefighters from the Gulf state of Qatar will be joining South Yorkshire crews on calls for the next few weeks, after they chose the brigade’s training HQ as a base for a visit to Britain.

The group of 10 will stay in Sheffield until June and will attend a range of incidents across the county to observe crews at the scene of fires, road traffic collisions and other special rescues.

Training instructor Jon Parkes said: “It is testament to our reputation and the excellent training facilities we have in South Yorkshire that the Qatar firefighters have chosen to visit us.”