Cut false alarms

In the UK this problem has come further under the spotlight because of the Localism Bill which, with some caveats, gives Fire and Rescue Authorities the right to charge for attendance. Indeed, London Fire Brigade announced in January 2014 that it was to start charging businesses for call outs if they attend more than ten false alarms in a twelve month period. They issued 100+ invoices within the first 120 days of the new regime!

However, it’s not all bad news with false alarms as official UK government figures show that there has been a steady decline in false alarm numbers over the past ten years and this against the background of ever more systems being installed. Nevertheless, everybody agrees that false alarms are a total waste of time for both the Fire & Rescue Services and businesses.

The false alarms problem is further compounded by the absence of a single automatic fire alarm (AFA) Fire & Rescue Service attendance policy in England. This lack of consistency makes it difficult for both end users and fire alarm maintenance companies, whereas in Scotland there is one policy and this has been further reinforced by the setting up of a single fire service. Currently in England only one Shire Fire & Rescue Service attends all AFA signals and that’s Buckinghamshire. Check your fire risk assessment and consult your local fire service if you live anywhere else in England.

With increasing cuts to Fire & Rescue Services, the FIA is driving awareness with our ‘Cut False Alarms Costs!’ campaign, which explains what false alarms are, plus how to manage and reduce them. 

False alarms are often caused by poor building management, fire alarm system design or maintenance:

• Poor building management – i.e. when contractors are allowed to undertake work without precautions to reduce the risk of false alarms.

• Poor fire system design – e.g. a kitchen with a smoke detector installed.

• Poor maintenance – an inadequately maintained smoke detector can become over-sensitive.

If you have a problem with persistent false alarms, set a target number to try not to exceed and aim to drive that down to zero. All incidents of false alarms should be investigated and recorded to establish the cause. The causes should then be shared with staff so that they are aware of the problem and know how to avoid them. 

You could use a staff alarm, which filters unwanted alarms. If an alarm sounds from an automatic fire detector, the general alarm signal is delayed, allowing only certain trained staff in the premises to investigate before evacuation.

For further reference, the Fire Industry Association has advice and guidance to help manage false fire alarms on our website.