Martin Duggan

False fire alarms are wasteful – to businesses in terms of time and productivity, and a huge drain on the Fire and Rescue Services. They could be attending real fires and people in real danger, and instead they are being called out to false alarms.

We proposed that research into causes of false alarms needed to be done. Working closely with the Building Research Establishment (BRE), investigations were undertaken and a paper was published in December of 2015. The research really did clarify our position.

As a result, we now have 35 different recommendations of things we can do as an industry sector to improve and clamp down on false fire alarms.

One surprising statistic that arose is that a large proportion of false fire alarms (where the Fire and Rescue Services were called out unnecessarily) were simply down to a lack of communication between premises managers and Alarm Receiving Centres (ARC). If you’re doing a weekly test of your alarm system, ensure that your ARC has been notified of the test so that the Fire Service doesn’t get called out unnecessarily.

In a business, you have to ensure that the person responsible knows all of the steps. Failing to notify the ARC when you do your test will result in a visit with flashing lights, and you could potentially face a fine.

For more information about false alarms, visit our website: www.fia.uk.com/cut-false-alarm-costs/reducing-false-alarms.html

Martin Duggan, General Manager at the Fire Industry Association