Surrey Fire and Rescue Service reports over 20,000 false fire alarms since 2019
Iain Hoey
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New report highlights scale of false fire alarms in Surrey
As reported by Personal Injury Claims UK, the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has responded to 22,732 false fire alarms since April 2019.
These incidents have placed a notable strain on financial and operational resources, with the service averaging between 4,000 and 5,000 false alarm visits per year.
The findings reveal that false alarms have required daily responses from the service, averaging around 12 incidents each day.
The data also show a peak in false alarms during 2019-2020, with 4,979 callouts, followed by a decline to 4,346 incidents in the subsequent year, largely due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As restrictions eased, false alarm callouts rose, reaching 4,425 in 2022-2023 before decreasing slightly to 4,259 in 2023-2024.
Causes and costs of false alarms
False alarms stem from various sources, including faulty equipment, user error, lack of maintenance, and environmental factors such as steam, dust, or cooking fumes.
As reported by Personal Injury Claims UK, the annual cost of these callouts has ranged between £700,000 and £800,000 since 2019, reflecting the financial burden on Surrey Fire and Rescue Service.
A national study by BRE Group estimates that false alarms cost the UK around £1 billion annually.
False alarms constitute the largest percentage of fire service responses nationwide, with nearly 38% of incidents attributed to alarm malfunctions or misinterpretations.
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service modifies response protocols
In response to these findings, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service updated its approach to handling Automatic Fire Alarms (AFAs) in domestic and residential properties.
A statement from the service noted: “In Spring 2024, we changed the way we respond to AFAs in domestic and residential properties by only responding if we receive confirmation that there is a fire.”
The service clarified that this updated response applies to specific locations, including boarding schools, student accommodations, hospitals, hotels, and care homes.
The revised approach follows data showing that 98% of AFA responses in these types of properties between October 2022 and March 2023 were false alarms.
National perspective on the impact of false alarms
The issue of false fire alarms remains a significant factor for fire services across the UK, contributing to operational delays and additional expenses.
According to the BRE Group’s study, false alarms create a financial and logistical burden, impacting services like Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, which continually adjusts protocols to improve response efficiency.
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service reports over 20,000 false fire alarms since 2019: Summary
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service responded to 22,732 false fire alarms from 2019 to 2024, as reported by Personal Injury Claims UK.
These responses, averaging 12 per day, highlight ongoing challenges, with yearly costs ranging from £700,000 to £800,000.
Despite a decrease in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions, false alarm callouts rose again in 2022.
Causes include faulty equipment and environmental factors.
In Spring 2024, Surrey Fire and Rescue updated its response policy, focusing on confirmation-based responses in residential and domestic properties to reduce unnecessary callouts.
Nationally, false fire alarms remain costly, with a UK-wide annual impact estimated at £1 billion.
