Cleveland Fire Brigade chiefs set out action to cut number of false alarms costing it over £225,000 a year

Cleveland Fire Brigade adopted the first iteration of its Unwanted Fire Signals (UwFS) Policy in 2017 which aims to reduce the number of false alarms generated by fire detection and alarm systems.

Officers say it “results in unnecessary demand on our resources.”

A report from brigade bosses to the latest meeting of Cleveland Fire Authority’s executive committee noted the policy had some initial success after its introduction.

However, the number false alarms has “steadily increased over recent years” following changes in legislation, meaning more businesses are now covered by automatic fire detection systems.

The report added: “UwFS incurs significant costs to the brigade of over £225,000 and a loss in productivity of around 10 days per year.”

Following a brigade review of its UwFS Policy, several key actions and recommendations have been set out.

This includes not responding to automatic false alarms for non-domestic premises unless supported by a confirmation call from the site or where more than one device has sounded.

The brigade will also implement mandatory call challenge fields in the new control system and conduct engagement to ensure clear communication and understanding of the revised policy.

This will include a three-month communication and engagement period with local businesses that may be affected by the changes.

The number of UwFS will then be monitored over the next year with a full evaluation of the new process after one year.