Cleveland Fire Brigade issues warning following significant increase in automatic fire alarm incidents

Between October 1 and October 6, 2023, Cleveland Fire Brigade recorded 52 automatic fire alarm incidents, compared to just 18 in the same period in 2022.

Statistics show that between April 2023 and September 2023, the cost of attending 601 automatic fire alarms came to around £400,000.

Joe Flounders, head of protection at Cleveland Fire Brigade, said: “Fire detection and alarm systems activate as a result of either an increase in heat or the presence of smoke. Unfortunately, they also react to things such as steam, vapes, aerosol sprays and cooking fumes.”

Many of these incidents happen in high rise buildings and sheltered accommodation and can be prevented by cooking using an extractor fan, closing doors between cooking areas, never leaving toasters unattended, ensuring bathrooms have good ventilation and keep smoking and vaping to dedicated smoking areas.