False fire alarm statistics highlight strain on resources

An investigation conducted by Personal Injury Claims UK has highlighted that fire and rescue services across the United Kingdom have responded to 747,902 false alarms over the past five years.

These false callouts have led to a significant strain on resources, both financially and operationally.

Data shows that between April 2019 and April 2024, annual false fire alarm callouts have ranged from 130,000 to 180,000, equating to over 400 daily incidents.

In the 2019/2020 period, fire services attended 136,514 false alarms, marking the lowest annual figure recorded in this period.

However, a year later, the number rose to 150,913, coinciding with COVID-19 restrictions in the UK.

Causes of false alarms and impact on public safety

Personal Injury Claims UK’s findings also detail common sources of false alarms, which include faulty equipment, user error, and environmental factors such as cooking fumes and shower steam.

These causes are generally classified into three categories: faults or accidental equipment use, genuine mistaken calls, and malicious intent.

CheckFire, a company providing fire safety equipment, noted on its website: “The potential outcomes of false fire alarms range from inconvenient to life-threatening…

If a false fire alarm is regularly sounding, people may become unconcerned and refuse to heed the threat to their safety…

This could cause them not to evacuate a building that is on fire and put them in grave danger when a real alarm sounds.”

Services most affected by false alarm calls

According to Personal Injury Claims UK’s data, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service reported the highest number of false alarms at 67,125 incidents over five years.

This figure places it ahead of the London Fire Brigade, which has similarly high numbers of callouts.

Such high callout rates place a financial and logistical burden on fire services, impacting their ability to respond efficiently to actual emergencies.

False alarms constitute the majority of fire and rescue service callouts across the country, representing 38% of all incidents attended.

According to a BRE Group study, these incidents cost UK services approximately £1 billion annually.

False alarms’ economic burden and safety concerns

The persistent issue of false alarms poses challenges for both public safety and the operational effectiveness of emergency services.

If the frequency of false alarms continues to rise, fire and rescue services may struggle to maintain efficiency in handling actual fire incidents.

False alarms disrupt business operations, divert essential resources, and could, as CheckFire warns, foster public complacency.

This complacency may lead individuals to ignore genuine alarms, increasing the potential risk of harm during real fire emergencies.

London Fire Brigade limits response to non-residential automatic fire alarms to reduce false callouts

Starting 29 October, London Fire Brigade (LFB) will no longer respond to automatic fire alarms in most non-residential buildings during the day, unless accompanied by a call from an individual confirming a fire.

The change applies to buildings such as offices and industrial estates between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. but exempts locations like hospitals, schools, care homes, and heritage sites.

Outside of daytime hours, the Brigade will continue to attend all automatic alarms.

The LFB policy follows a public consultation held last year, which gathered input from community members, businesses, and staff.

Assistant Commissioner for Prevention and Protection, Craig Carter, noted: “We are here to keep London’s communities safe, and we want to do this as effectively as possible…reducing our attendance at false alarms will give firefighters more time to focus on protection and prevention activity.”

This strategy is part of LFB’s Community Risk Management Plan to optimise resources.

False alarms impact on UK fire services

The Home Office’s recent fire and rescue service (FRS) statistics show that 43% of incidents attended in England during the year ending June 2024 were false alarms.

London Fire Brigade alone attended 52,000 false alarms from April 2023 to March 2024, most of which were triggered by automatic systems.

This is a growing trend nationally, with 255,581 false alarms reported across England in the past year, marking the highest figure since 2011.

The rise in false alarms places a strain on FRS resources, diverting personnel from essential tasks, including emergency response and community safety initiatives.

FRS data indicates that nearly 99% of automatic alarm triggers prove to be false, pointing to challenges such as system malfunctions, lack of proper maintenance, and environmental factors.

LFB encourages businesses to regularly maintain alarm systems to prevent unnecessary callouts and ensure better fire safety.

Safety and efficiency through community engagement and training

Ahead of implementing the new policy, LFB engaged stakeholders and business representatives to clarify expectations under the revised response model.

The Brigade hosted an online session in August, attended by over 100 participants from transport, retail, and council sectors, where they discussed the policy’s impact on fire safety responsibilities.

LFB has worked to raise awareness among business and community groups regarding the importance of alarm system maintenance and staff training.

Emphasis has been placed on recognising the responsibilities under fire safety law to minimise false alarm occurrences.

Carter stated that LFB will continue to support local communities, adding: “We will always attend an emergency and will continue to attend an alarm at any premises where people sleep – such as homes, hotels, and prisons.”

National trends in fire-related incidents and fatalities

Home Office data reports a 4.5% decrease in incidents attended by English FRSs, down to 594,384 in the year ending June 2024, reflecting fewer fire incidents overall.

Fire-related fatalities also fell by 19%, with 233 deaths recorded compared to 286 in the previous year.

This decrease in fire incidents aligns with a 42% reduction in outdoor primary fires, attributed to wetter conditions in winter and spring, contrasting with the high fire incidence during the hot, dry summer of 2022.

While fire-related incidents continue to decline, false alarms have become an increasing concern.

The Home Office reports that apparatus-triggered false alarms reached 184,581 in 2024, an increase of over 9% from the previous year.

This persistent challenge prompts ongoing efforts across FRSs in the UK to refine response protocols, allowing more time for emergency preparedness, community outreach, and operational training.

UK fire and rescue services handle over 700,000 false alarms in five years: Summary

An investigation by Personal Injury Claims UK revealed that UK fire and rescue services have responded to 747,902 false fire alarms since April 2019.

Annual figures varied from 130,000 to 180,000 incidents, with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service experiencing the highest callout rate.

False alarms, caused by faulty equipment, user error, and environmental factors, accounted for 38% of all fire service callouts.

CheckFire has warned that repeated false alarms could lead the public to ignore genuine fire risks.

False alarms are projected to continue affecting the efficiency and operational costs of UK fire and rescue services, adding up to approximately £1 billion per year in expenses.

London Fire Brigade has implemented a new policy as of 29 October, reducing its response to automatic fire alarms in non-residential buildings during daytime hours.

This change aims to free resources for essential community safety initiatives, while exempting residential, educational, and healthcare facilities.

False alarms, representing 43% of incidents in England, have created a resource strain, with LFB alone attending over 50,000 false calls last year.

The Home Office reports an overall 4.5% decline in fire incidents and a 19% decrease in fire-related fatalities over the past year.

This new policy, informed by public consultation, emphasises the importance of alarm maintenance and aims to improve operational efficiency across the capital’s fire services.