False alarms place pressure on Kent Fire and Rescue Service

According to an investigation by Personal Injury Claims UK, Kent Fire and Rescue Service has responded to 13,394 false fire alarms since April 2019.

This repeated activity, averaging seven incidents daily, has strained both financial and operational resources within the service.

Annual false alarm callouts ranged from 2,300 to 3,000 over the five-year period.

Between 2019 and 2020, Kent Fire and Rescue attended 2,760 false alarms, the third-highest annual figure over the past five years.

During the following year, numbers dropped to 2,378 due to COVID-19 restrictions, which temporarily reduced activities and occupancy in buildings.

Following the easing of these restrictions, false alarm numbers rose again, reaching 2,848 in 2022/23 and climbing to 2,975 in 2023/24.

Main causes of false alarms identified

Kent Fire and Rescue Service identified several factors contributing to false fire alarms, including faulty or improperly designed fire equipment, inadequate user training, and lack of equipment maintenance.

Environmental triggers, such as cooking fumes, shower steam, building dust, and aerosol sprays, have also led to accidental activations.

These frequent incidents, labelled as “unwanted fire signals,” divert resources from genuine emergencies, noted a statement on the Kent Fire and Rescue website.

It added: “False alarms…can divert firefighting resources from real fires, erode your confidence in the value and reliability of your automatic fire detection systems, and cause costly interruptions to your business.”

Cost implications of false alarms across the UK

False alarms remain a widespread issue in the UK, constituting 38% of all incidents attended by fire services nationwide.

The financial impact is substantial, with the BRE Group estimating false alarms cost the UK approximately £1 billion annually.

The combination of these costs and resource redirection underscores the operational challenges faced by fire services, particularly if the current trends continue.

For Kent Fire and Rescue Service, reducing these false alarms is essential to maintain efficiency and ensure readiness for genuine emergencies.

“Fortunately, most of these can be eliminated by careful planning,” stated the service.

However, a continued rise in such incidents could affect response times and potentially put lives at risk.

Kent Fire and Rescue faces resource strain from 13,000 false alarms since 2019: Summary

An investigation by Personal Injury Claims UK revealed that Kent Fire and Rescue Service has responded to 13,394 false alarms since 2019, with annual responses ranging from 2,300 to 3,000.

These false alarms, often triggered by faulty equipment, poor maintenance, and environmental factors, create operational and financial burdens.

Nationwide, false alarms make up 38% of fire service calls, costing the UK around £1 billion yearly.

As Kent Fire and Rescue addresses these challenges, false alarms remain a significant concern for public safety and resource management across the UK.