Fire service consultation- Automatic Fire Alarms

Published: 27 January 2025

The following message from the Chief Fire Officer, Gavin Ellis provides the context as to why the Service is considering changes: 

‘Last year, our crews responded to an average of 16 false alarms every day due to automatic fire alarms, placing an unnecessary burden on the Service’s resources and our ability to be ready and available for genuine emergencies.  

In the last five years, we have been alerted to more than 55,000 automatic fire alarms, out of which just 42 needed the hose reel jet from one of our fire engines, which is less than 0.08%.’

We’re looking at how we can reduce the number of automatic fire alarms we attend to make our Service more efficient, and make sure our firefighters are able to respond to genuine emergencies. 

More detailed information about the consultation, and a link to a public survey for feedback, is available via www.dsfire.gov.uk/about-us/AFA-consultation. There will also be opportunities to question and answer events. 

Any change is only in the response to an automatic alert and the Fire Service willl always attend if someone has reported a sign of fire. It will also always attend single domestic properties, such as houses, or where there is a known night-time sleeping risk. Details of these can be found in our consultation document.

(https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/news/tell-us-how-we-should-respond-automatic-fire-alarms) 

For further information, visit www.dsfire.gov.uk, email rightresponse@dsfire.gov.uk or call 01392 261287.