Getting families thinking about their fire escape routes is the aim of a new online game created by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue – with exciting prizes up for grabs for players! Created by Sheffield-based game company, Peek and Poke, Blaze Runner is a maze video game that sees the player trying to outrun a fire by finding key items – such as a mobile phone to call 999 and keys to get out of the house – linked to planning an escape route in a real fire.

Tickets for Tramlines Festival 2026, a family ticket for Gulliver’s Valley Theme Park, a Yorkshire Wildlife Park pass for up to six people and a £150 high street shopping voucher are the prizes up for grabs for those who can get the highest score.

Once the game ends players will be invited to make a fire escape plan with their family with a free downloadable template.

Chris Tyler, Group Manager at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “We’re excited to share this game which we hope will be a lot of fun but also get people thinking about how they can keep themselves and their families safe with an escape plan.

“Knowing what to do in the event of a fire can be the difference between life and death, that’s why I’d urge everyone to download the plan template and take 10 minutes to consider and discuss your plan over the summer holidays.”

Download the escape plan template and make your own escape plan

Play the game

South Yorkshire’s fire service has been praised for making improvements in its latest inspection report, published today.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate rated South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue as ‘good’ at preventing fires and other risks, promoting the right values and culture and ensuring fairness and promoting diversity.

Inspectors also said the service is good at making best use of its resources and future affordability.

The report rates the county’s fire service as ‘adequate’ – a new rating introduced by inspectors- in the remaining six inspection areas.

Chief Fire Officer Chris Kirby, said: “I’m pleased with the content of the report- though we also have more work to get to where we want to be as a service. I want to thank everyone who works for South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue. They should feel proud of the improvements we’ve made since our last inspection.

“Clearly, there is still room for improvement. We aspire to be one of the country’s leading fire and rescue services. Based on these results, we are not quite there yet.

“But overall, it’s clear that the hard work people across the service have put in to improve our performance since our last inspection has paid off.

“We will now look to address the remaining areas for improvement which inspectors identified, as we strive towards a better service for all those we serve and employ.”

This is the third time the service has been inspected by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

All fire and rescue services are measured against the same 11 areas and given a grade for each.

HMICFRS recently expanded its previous four-tier system of graded judgments to five- with the new ‘adequate’ rating being introduced for the first time during this latest round of inspections.

For more information, view the full report here.