Kent Fire and Rescue Service has seen a massive reduction in the number of false automatic fire alarms calls it has responded to, following the change in its attendance policy.

Since changes were implemented three months ago (in April 2012), and Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) stopped attending automatic fire alarms during the day (6am to 6pm) unless it received confirmation of a fire or signs of fire, daytime call-outs have fallen by 63 per cent.

This means that there have been 450 occasions when fire engines have not had to turn out to false alarms and have instead been available to attend genuine emergencies where lives may have been at risk.

Area Manager John Robertson said: "We are very encouraged by these figures and believe that they show that many businesses and premises with automatic alarm systems understand the need for this change and are already putting the necessary measures in place to manage their alarm systems, to be able to confirm a fire and to reduce unwanted calls."

While AFA calls to the service have dropped by 10 per cent over the same period, KFRS is still being contacted by people who are calling us before confirming if there is a fire or signs of fire.

John added: "Clearly, there is still a long way to go on this, both in reducing the number of times people call us when there isn't a fire and in preparing for the next phase of the policy when our change in response will change will apply 24 hours a day. This will happen in April 2013."

He added: "We will continue to support businesses in managing these changes, but it is important for people to be aware that it is the duty of the person responsible for the building to update their fire risk assessment to reflect the changes in our attendance to automatic alarm systems. They should also ensure procedures are in place to confirm a fire before calling us."

 

Posted July 16th, 2012 at 1435 by Andrew. Comment by emailing andrew.lynch@pavpub.com