Fire chief calls on businesses to take action to reduce false alarms

Greater Manchester Firefighters responded to over 13,500 automatic fire alarm calls in 2006, but surprisingly only used firefighting equipment at 60 of them! These shocking figures combined with false alarms doubling over the past 5 years are why Fire Chiefs are calling on businesses to check for signs of fire when their alarm goes off, and if there is, to then call the Fire and Rescue Service. 

Assistant County Fire Officer Steve Beckley said: “Our crews spend over 97,000 hours dealing with the 13,500 false alarms from automatic fire alarms. It’s important everyone realises when our crews are tied up dealing with alarm systems they may be kept from attending a real emergency or undertaking important training and community safety work. These calls not only take up vital time but also cost the public over £2 million per year and cost businesses money and time in terms of lost productivity and disruption. 

It is a misconception that fire alarm systems are provided to ensure that the Fire and Rescue Service attend. Its purpose is to alert people that there may be a fire, that the premises should be evacuated and that the cause of the alarm should be investigated. If a fire is discovered a back up call should be made to the Fire and Rescue Service by calling 999. We need to reduce the number of false alarms and this new policy will put the onus on businesses to ensure that they manage their fire alarm systems.”

The main thrust of this new policy is that alarm receiving centres will be asked if there are any signs of fire before Firefighters are sent. If this is confirmed or a back up call is received Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service will then give a full emergency response using blue lights and two tone horns and will attend within 7 minutes. Not only will reducing false alarms allow time for training and community work, it will also reduce the current 28,000 journeys per year that fire engines take to false alarms, which will reduce the risk to the public and firefighters.

Angie Robinson, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: "I think everyone will be shocked at the scale of this issue and the amount of time and money wasted dealing with it by businesses and the Fire and Rescue Service across Greater Manchester. It is crucial that organisations understand and take on board their responsibilities under the new Fire Safety Legislation and manage their risks appropriately. Greater Manchester Chamber will be working closely with the Service to help them with this campaign and businesses should take advantage of the invaluable support and advice that they, the real experts, are offering. I would urge everyone to play their part in helping the Service address this problem. It is a truly frightening thought that if they are tied up dealing with false alarms they may be kept from dealing with a real emergency where lives need to be saved."