False fire alarms costing Cleveland Fire Service £225k a year
The increase was due to changes in legislation, meaning more businesses were now covered by automatic fire detection systems, the report said.It added: "UwFS incurs significant costs to the brigade of over £225,000 and a loss in productivity of around 10 days per year."
Following a brigade review, several key actions and recommendations have been set out.This includes not responding to automatic false alarms for non-domestic premises unless supported by a confirmation call from the site or "double knock" activation - where more than one device has actuated.The brigade will also implement mandatory call challenge fields in the new control system and conduct engagement to ensure clear communication and understanding of the revised policy.This will include a three month period of communication and engagement with local businesses that may be affected by the changes.The number of UwFS will then be monitored over the next year with a full evaluation of the new process taking place one year from implementation.
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