Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service serves a resident population of 1.104 million divided amongst the five constituent councils of Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland in the North East of England. Our vision for the community will be achieved by providing the people of Tyne and Wear with the services they want and need, to the highest possible standard; "Creating the Safest Community" Our mission will help us to secure this vision; "To Save Life, Reduce Risk, Provide Humanitarian Services and Protect the Environment" We also work in the community carrying out home fire risk assessments, conducting visits to schools and advising businesses on fire safety. We are also committed to supporting and working with children and young people in the region through initiatives such as Young Firefighters Association (YFA), Prince's Trust and the Phoenix Project. We recognise the importance of partnerships with the communities we serve and key agencies in Tyne and Wear, this will help us to achieve our vision of creating the safest community. The Fire Authority is responsible for the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, and is required by law to publish certain performance indicators annually in local press. I trust you will find them interesting; they show the statistical performance of the brigade for the last financial year but can not, or course, provide any indication of the true quality or scope of the service delivered every day to the citizens of Tyne and Wear.