As of 1 April 2024, the Service will no longer attend Automatic Fire Alarms (AFA’s) at low risk commercial premises. During 2022/23, the Service attended 1,946 AFA’s in commercial premises which turned out to be unwanted fire signals (false alarms).
This change is being introduced to reduce the number of unwanted fire signals attended by fire crews. Such mobilisations can cause unnecessary risks to the public and responding firefighters, cause disruption to the business, and may delay a response to a genuine emergency.
We will still always attend for AFA activations:
- In domestic and residential buildings;
- At all other places where people sleep, and identified higher risk premises; and
- At any premises where a fire is suspected, on receipt of a 999 call, or by confirmation by other means.
Click here to find out how you can reduce fire alarm activations.
Fire safety legislation says it is the responsibility of premises, not the fire service, to investigate the cause of Automatic Fire Alarms, whether there is a fire or not.
Unwanted fire signals have many different causes, most of which can be dealt with by careful planning. Investigating the causes of false alarms will provide you with important information to help you manage your system. More information is available from the National Fire Chiefs Council.
The correct positioning of detection devices and call points is essential. False alarms can be caused by activation of the system for reasons other than a fire, including:
- Pollutants in the air setting off detectors (such as cooking fumes, aerosols, steam etc);
- Incorrect detector type;
- Vandalism or malicious acts;
- Incorrect use of the system;
- Equipment being faulty or not maintained properly;
- Fire detectors or manual call points in the wrong place;
- Fire detection system not appropriate for the building;
- Testing the system without informing your alarm receiving centre;
- Contractors working on site or other aggravating work processes.
If your business has a problem with false alarms, contact your alarm installer or maintenance contractor. Any changes to your fire alarm system should be risk assessed prior to implementation.
We have collated some frequently asked questions about automatic fire alarms.