London firefighters halt automatic alarm callouts

Firefighters were called to a false alarm at Charing Cross in May

Firefighters in London will no longer attend automatic alarms in most non-residential buildings – unless they are told a fire is definitely happening.

London Fire Brigade's (LFB) new policy will only apply between 07:00 and 20:30, during which time crews will only attend if a call is also received from a person reporting a fire.

The policy was first announced by the brigade in May but came into force on Tuesday.

“We are here to keep London’s communities safe, and we want to do this as effectively as possible," LFB's assistant commissioner Craig Carter said.

He added: "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.

"As outlined in our Community Risk Management Plan, reducing our attendance at false alarms will give firefighters more time to focus on protection and prevention activity, such as visiting our most vulnerable residents and communities, fire safety checks, as well as operational training."

The change – which will affect properties like office blocks and industrial estates – is being brought in to save the fire service valuable time, as the LFB says that less than 1% of automatic alarms are triggered by genuine fires.

The affected automatic systems are those where the LFB is alerted to a potential fire without anyone having called them.

Other premises exempt from the new policy include hospitals, schools and listed heritage sites.

The brigade has said the change will bring the LFB into line with almost every other UK fire service.

Overall, false alarms make up 40% of the calls the LFB receives.

The most common causes include poor alarm design or maintenance, dust inside the detectors, or steam.