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Concerns this policy may spread to all Fire Brigades London Fire Brigade (LFB) has implemented a new policy that will significantly change its response to automatic fire alarms in non-residential buildings, reports the BBC News Website. Effective from 1st October 2024, firefighters will only attend these alarms between 07:00 and 20:30 if a human confirms a fire is occurring. This decision aims to improve efficiency, as less than 1% of automatic alarms are associated with actual fires.
LFB's assistant commissioner, Craig Carter, emphasized that the focus will remain on community safety and emergency response, particularly for residential buildings, which will continue to receive full attention. Exempt properties, such as hospitals, schools, and heritage sites, will still trigger a response regardless of human confirmation. This policy is in line with practices across most UK fire services and is designed to reduce the significant number of false alarms, which account for 40% of LFB's calls. Common culprits for these false alarms include faulty equipment, dust accumulation, and steam. By reallocating resources, the brigade aims to enhance fire safety measures and community outreach initiatives. It is expected that this new approach will be replicated across the Country's local fire brigades. Concerns raised by the FBU were ignored in the consultation exercise underrtaken regarding this plan, according to FBU sources in greater Manchester. The Union made the point that ignoring any form of alarm, creatses a fasle sence of security, and merely delays a response to what may well turn out to be a true fire, which then results in further damage to property and risk to life. Furthermore, this comes on the back of some local fire brigades attempting to cut down the number of firefighters sent on callouts, by having only 3 firefighters in smaller fire engines, instead of the minimum of 5 attending using a normal standard sized engine. This means less crew but also less appliances being housed on the smaller engines. this puts lives and property at greater rissk said the Merseyside Branch of the FBU. See also: Firefighters Lobby Government To “Rebuild” Fire And Rescue Service
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It is argued that companies who use auto alarm systems could be fined for these occurences, as they should ensure their automatic alarm systems are suitable for the buildings they are supposed to protect. Clearly false alarms are not a sign of good and suitable auto alrm installations.