An automatic fire alarm detects a potential fire, alerting occupants or an alarm company to call 999.
The consultation proposes that the Brigade will not attend automatic fire alarms in non-residential buildings, such as office blocks or industrial estates, during the day โ unless a call is also received from a person reporting a fire.
The Brigade will always respond to all 999 calls from members of the public reporting fires at any location across London. The Brigade will also continue to respond to automatic fire alarms from residential buildings, such as homes.
Less than one percent of automatic fire alarms signal genuine fires – the remaining 99 per cent are false alarms, placing an unnecessary burden on the Brigadeโs resources. Last year, the Brigade attended around 60 false alarms generated by automatic fire alarms in non-residential properties each day. Responding to these incidents took upย roughlyย 23,500ย hoursย of firefightersโ time.
If the Brigade reduces time spent attending false alarms, firefighters will have more time available to dedicate to preventing firesย andย improving community safety.ย This includesย fire safety checks in homes and businesses, as well as operational training.
All but four fire and rescue services across the United Kingdom already have similar policies in place.
The Brigade is proposing to continue to respond to automatic fire alarms in buildings where people are likely to be sleeping or hazardous materials might be present.ย The Brigade would also continue to respond to automatic fire alarms in buildings of substantial public significanceย such as heritage sites.
Deputy Commissioner Dominic Ellis said: โWe are here to keep Londonโs communities safe, and we want to do this as effectively as possible.
โThe Brigade spends thousands of hours each year attending false alarms generated by automatic fire alarms at non-residential buildings. Reducing our attendance at these false alarms will give us more time to focus on keeping our communities safe. We will always attend an emergency if you call us.โ
โWe want to hear from businesses and other partners who will be affected by these proposals so that we can take on board your feedback before taking a decision.โ
Feedback from the consultation will inform the Brigadeโs new strategy for responding to automatic fire alarms. More information on responding to the consultation can be found on the Brigadeโs website. The consultation will close on 25 October 2023.
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