Cornwall fire service counts cost of false alarms

It has been reported that automatic heat and smoke detectors are proving to be extremely costly to Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, with false alarms racking up almost £500,000 every year.

The fire brigade has confirmed it took action to around a thousand call outs last year which were caused by fumes from cooking or fire doors not properly closed and the resultant triggering of fire alarms.

In one particular case at University College Falmouth halls of residence, automatic detectors were set off 35 times in just two years.

With every call out due to a false alarm setting the fire service back about £500, it is no wonder then that campaigns have been launched to reduce the volume of these instances, which are around a third of every call out.

Justin Ashburn, Falmouth watch manager, spoke to BBC News about the problems the service faced due to these false alarms. He said:

“Logistically it can be a problem because it could be potentially taking us away from a genuine incident.

“However, when the call comes in, we do have to treat it as an emergency.”

As a public service, the fire brigade incurs costs for these call outs in terms of the use of the appliances, fuel expenditure as well as the manpower and security considerations.