False fire alarm call-outs in West Lothian area drop to zero for first time

Daily Record

27-05-2025

There were zero false alarm calls in the last three months - almost two years after Scottish Fire and Rescue changed the rules to automatic response to fire alarms in a bid to save thousands of pounds and cut waste of resources.
Livingston North has become the first area in West Lothian to have no false fire call-outs.
There were zero false alarm calls in the last three months - almost two years after Scottish Fire and Rescue changed the rules to automatic response to fire alarms in a bid to save thousands of pounds and cut waste of resources.
‌
Watch Commander Paul Harvey told a meeting of Livingston North Local Area Committee that the number of call-outs had plummeted: 'I'm happy to report that in the last quarter that [number ] is zero. I think that is the first time we have had zero unwanted alarms in any quarter.'
‌
With a large number of industrial units, Northern Livingston once regularly had high numbers of call outs, with a minimum of two fire engines responding to automatically triggered alarm signals.
At one point there were almost 50 call outs in a three month period.
SFRS changed the rules in July 2023 and now only responds to automatic alarms in buildings where people sleep such as hotels, hospitals, care homes and student halls.
Commander Harvey said: 'We will only attend where there is a back up call [to confirm] and there is a sleeping risk This has freed up staff for training and public engagement.'
Chairing the meeting Councillor Anne McMillan said : 'Well done on the unwanted fire alarms. Could you say if this is an indication county wide on the reduction of call outs?'
Cmdr Harvey said the plan estimated there would be an 57% reduction in the number of false alarm call-outs.
‌
He added: 'It has been a significant reduction in some wards, we have seen the call outs reduced by 90%.
'What we ask now is if the alarm goes off there is a back up call from the operator. If it is anywhere with sleeping accommodation we will always send an immediate response.'
Councillor Alison Adamson said: ' Absolutely huge congratulations on the unwanted call-outs - you can see the numbers coming down from 2022-23.'
‌
The numbers of call-outs began dropping significantly in the months before the rule change came in July 2023. However in West Lothian the number of unwanted fire alarms still remained stubbornly higher than other parts of Scotland.
Before the rule change Pre-Determined Attendance, or PDA as the policy is known, saw fire crews mobilised to an average 28,479 false alarms each year - equating to around 57,000 unnecessary blue light journeys in Scotland, posing potential road risks to the public and crews. The cost of each false call out to the service is around £2,000.
Many unwanted call outs are triggered by faulty alarm settings but many more have been triggered by wholly innocent things such as cooking, and the use of deodorants and hairspray.