Forty-nine lives have been saved in Oxfordshire in the last 12 months as the fire service continues its 365 Alive campaign, say crews.

The Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue has released its latest figures as part of its ongoing mission to save 365 people from fires or road crashes by 2016.

It also aims to save £100m on the amount of money spent on dealing with serious accidents and fires and to educate 840,000 people on fire safety.

Now, eight months after the launch, the service said it WAs well on the way to achieving its annual targets.

Assistant chief fire officer Dave Etheridge, who is spearheading 365 Alive, said that between April, 2006 to April, 2007, 46 people had been rescued from accidental fires, which might have proved fatal had the fire service not intervened.

The service aimed to reduce fatalities from accidental fire to four - but this target went down to one. A total of 94,476 people received fire safety advice -20 per cent up on the service's annual target of 84,000.

The overall reduction in incidents also meant £19m was saved on dealing with fires and road accidents.

Mr Etheridge said they believed the figures equated to 49 people saved - the 46 rescued and three fewer killed in accidental fire.

He said: "I am absolutely delighted that all the personnel within Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service have pulled together, as one team, and are delivering our 10-year vision of 365 Alive.

"The year one results are a fantastic start and a springboard for us to keep focused and make Oxfordshire safer."

However, fatalities from road traffic collisions were up by 10 on the service's target figure of 52, something Mr Etheridge admitted was a concern.

He said: "Every fatality in our county is a tragic event. The level of deaths on our roads last year just shows why it's right for the fire service to work with our partners within the county council road safety teams to help make a difference.

"Although last year was high, it must be recognised that the overall trend is down.

"We are absolutely convinced that our educational programmes focused on the future drivers who live in Oxfordshire will start to show through over the next few years."

The service has been visiting schools with its Choices and Consequences presentation, in which pupils are shown a DVD about a girl whose life was devastated when a drink driver crashed into the car she was in, leaving her unrecognisable with horrific burns