In Berkshire, false alarms make up 45% of the incidents we attend. Most of these calls come from commercial automatic fire detection systems. We refer to these as automatic fire alarms (AFAs). 

In 2022-23 alone, we attended 2,294 AFAs. On 99% of these calls (in the buildings we are consulting on), no action was required by the Service as there was no fire. 

Attending false alarm calls creates significant disruption to other more risk critical activities. Changing the way the Service responds to these types of incidents could provide significant benefits to communities and firefighters, further improving the service provided to the people of Berkshire. 

The proposed changes do not offer monetary savings. The focus is solely on reducing risk by minimising disruption to key activities. 

The impact that automatic fire alarm calls have on fire and rescue services has been recognised. It remains clear that there is still the need for significant improved action associated with the management of false alarms.  

Nationally (2022-23), 39% of 999 calls to fire and rescue services were false alarms. We want to bring our service in line with, or below, this percentage.  

No decisions have been made yet. We want to hear what you think of our proposals in this document. Once you have read the document, you can respond to the consultation in a variety of ways. Details on how to have your say are on our website: rbfrs.co.uk/haveyoursay  

In Berkshire, false alarms make up 45% of the incidents we attend. Most of these calls come from commercial automatic fire detection systems. We refer to these as automatic fire alarms (AFAs). 

In 2022-23 alone, we attended 2,294 AFAs. On 99% of these calls (in the buildings we are consulting on), no action was required by the Service as there was no fire. 

The 1% of automatic fire alarm notifications that were confirmed as fires resulted in no injuries or deaths. No significant property damage was caused by these incidents. Attending these types of incidents disrupts the essential daily activities of our Firefighters. 

According to the law, Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRA) must make provision for extinguishing fires and for protecting life and property in the event of fires. They must also make arrangements for dealing with calls for help when there is a fire. There is no legal duty on a fire and rescue service to respond to notifications from automatic fire alarm systems for the purpose of establishing whether there is a fire. 

In non-domestic premises covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the employer, the owner, or someone else who has control of the premises (the ‘Responsible Person’) must ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that the buildings are safe for its occupants in the event of a fire. When an alarm system is fitted, these arrangements include maintenance of the system and providing the actions to be taken if the automatic fire alarm system was activated. 

This consultation reflects a change to how we respond to automatic fire alarm calls in the buildings categorised below, where the Responsible Person cannot confirm there is a fire. 

We will continue to send fire engines to automatic fire alarm notifications at higher risk buildings, where anyone sleeps, such as hotels, hospitals, care homes, houses, and flats. We will also continue to attend fire alarm notifications at a range of existing known higher risk sites. Such as regulated sites and heritage properties. 

We will continue to maintain our emergency response to manual 999 calls and confirmed fires

Responsible Persons/ Building occupiers have legal responsibilities to ensure they manage and maintain their automatic fire alarms.  

Building occupiers should consider how to reduce the number of automatic fire alarms and respond in a prompt manner when an automatic fire alarm goes off. This would prevent an unneeded fire engine response, which we know is currently leading to 99% of these calls being false alarms.  

Every year, we attend around 2,300 false alarms generated by automatic fire alarms. Attending these types of incidents disrupts essential daily activities undertaken by our firefighters. 

We know that 99% of automatic fire alarm notifications (in the buildings we are consulting on) are false alarms. We need to change the way we respond to automatic fire alarm notifications. If we do not, we are unable to address the following risks: 

• We want to carry out more in person fire safety visits to our most vulnerable residents and businesses to help them live and work safely. Every time a fire engine is sent to an automatic fire alarm notification during a visit it disrupts the business, delays us giving vital advice to residents, and increases risk to the public. 
• Being called to automatic fire alarm notifications can divert firefighters from real emergencies, potentially putting life and property at risk. Additionally, driving to false alarms under emergency conditions puts our residents at unnecessary risk as well as having an environmental impact.  

• If we do not change the way we respond to these false alarms, it will have a longer-term impact on the delivery of critical training. It is essential that our teams can train, exercise, and develop their skills and knowledge to deal with known and emerging risks in our communities. It is vital that we can respond effectively when there is a real incident. Dealing with false alarms regularly disrupts training and exercises. 

• Firefighters carry out familiarisation visits at high-risk buildings so that we are well prepared to respond to real incidents. It is a legal duty for firefighters to gather this information. Maintaining up to date risk information helps us minimise the risk to our staff and the public. Attending false alarms disrupts us gathering the information we need and creates unnecessary risk. 

Last year, we spent around 2,900 hours responding to false alarms. While this is an indicative figure, we know that attending these types of incidents causes significant disruption to the delivery of our essential services and training. These activities are carefully planned throughout the year and the disruption caused by false alarms has a compounding effect.  

We need to change the way we respond to automatic fire alarm notifications to ensure our communities and our firefighters are kept safe.