Firefighters to end automatic alarm response
Firefighters will no longer travel to investigate all automatic alarms after a public consultation backed proposals to reduce unnecessary callouts.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said that crews of up to nine have routinely been mobilised in two fire appliances to an average of 28,479 false alarms each year, equating to around 57,000 unnecessary blue light journeys annually.
From April next year the fire service will establish if Automatic Fire Alarms (AFAS) in workplaces have been triggered by an actual fire before sending any appliance, after the majority of respondents to the public consultation backed that option.
Hospitals, residential care homes and “sleeping risk” premises will remain exempt and appliances will continue to be mobilised automatically to any fire alarm activations within these facilities.
SFRS anticipates that the change will reduce attendance by up to 57 per cent and will free up 37,524 hours each year for firefighters to do training and community safety work.
Stuart Stevens, SFRS Assistant Chief Officer, said: “False alarms account for almost one third of fire and rescue activity across Scotland. They place a drain on front line services, increase risk to road users and cause interruption to the business sector and communities.
“The advantages of call challenging workplaces to reduce these callouts are clear.
“Making this change means we can carry out more training, community safety and fire prevention activity, as well as reducing our carbon impact.
“These unnecessary blue light journeys bring risks to our crews, other road users and pedestrians as well as impacting the environment with an estimated 575 tonnes ofcarbonemissionsproduced.
“Businesses will also experience less disruption as they no longer need to wait for us to attend to give the all clear after a false alarm.”
The change will come into effect in April 2023 and will bring Scotland into line with most other UK Fire and Rescue Services.
An SFRS board paper said that based on an estimated 57 per cent reduction in unwanted fire alarm signals and subsequent blue light journeys, the service could save up to an estimated £703,896 per year.