IT IS ESTIMATED THAT FALSE ALARMS COST THE UK MORE THAN £1 BILLION A YEAR.
Most fire alarms and detection systems don’t cause false alarms, but mismanagement of them does. Over a third of all emergency calls are false alarms, however most causes are preventable.
It is estimated that false alarms cost the UK more than £1 billion a year. These costs are a combination of business losses due to evacuation, e.g. loss of production and distraction of staff, increases in insurance premiums or even fines from fire departments. Fire services in England and Wales have the power to charge for attending false alarms, so it is wise to take action to reduce these false activations.
The responsibility of fire safety and the fire detection equipment is that of the premises owner or occupier.
Ensuring that your fire alarm is regularly serviced and reviewed is one of the best ways to prevent false alarms. It is advisable to have the system professionally tested annually and check if any updates need to be made and commercially is a legal requirement under UK Fire Safety legislation – Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2006. Also make sure manual call points are not located where they may be knocked by mistake.
As misuse of fire equipment is one of the main causes of false activations, one of the best forms of prevention is ensuring that necessary staff are informed of the proper operation of the system, and that you contact a qualified professional if any faults appear on the system.
If you have any queries about the suitability of your fire detection equipment, or require regular servicing and maintenance of your system, please contact our office for more information on 01535 66 11 97.