The number of fire deaths, injuries and accidental house blazes all fell last year, according to new statistics from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue service.
There were 14 fatalities in 2012 compared to 27 the previous year and a 3% reduction when it came to those injured, while accidental house fires were down 4%.
However, the service's chief officer said four deaths over the festive period showed people must "always be aware" of the dangers of fire.
Figures showed a 14% drop in fire casualties and a 5% drop in accidental house fires from December 1 to January 3 compared to the same period the previous year, with a 39% increase in the number of home fire safety visits.
The statistics were released as Brian Sweeney, chief officer of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, said people living in the west of Scotland are three times less likely to suffer the devastating consequences of fire than they were in 1975. He delivered the message ahead of the new national fire service becoming operational on April 1.
Mr Sweeney said: "As we approach the start of the new Scottish Fire and Rescue Service it is important to take stock of where we are and to consider just how far we have come over the last 38 years.
"Back when Strathclyde Fire Brigade first began in the 1970s we were regularly seeing more than 7,000 devastating house fires each year, with a death toll often exceeding 100. The decades since have seen a huge drop and we now report closer to 2,000 fires in the home, and during 2012 there were just 14 fatalities.
"Comparing the statistics reveals that in the 1970s and early 1980s, members of the public were three times more likely to have a house fire and suffer the consequences, or, worse still, were almost eight or nine times more likely to die in the blaze."
He added: "The fact is we have never been safer, but as the recent tragedies this Christmas prove, we must always be aware of the dangers of fire. Every fire death is one too many.
"In 10 years time nobody in the West of Scotland should be dying in a fire. We will continue our efforts and, with the help of the media and the public, will work relentlessly in the fight against fire."
