Fire service changes response to automated alarms

The fire service said it wanted to makes sure crews were available to deal with genuine emergencies

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has said it will not be attending automated fire alerts to make sure it is available to deal with "real emergencies".

It said the policy, which came into effect on 30 September, was part of a national initiative to make services more effective.

It means automated alarms will be filtered out between 08:00 and 18:00 each day for the lowest risk premises, like shops and offices.

Area Commander George Marshall said that the service would continue to attend "higher risk buildings" as normal, around the clock.

Premises exempt from call filtering include those where there is a sleeping risk, public buildings, and places of education.

Mr Marshall said the fire service attended nearly 4,000 false alarms every year with many of those being "avoidable" and caused by aspects like smoking and a lack of servicing equipment.

"We really don't want to be turning out for those because it means our fire engines aren't available for real calls," he said.

"The response has improved because we're not going to be turning out for false alarms, but for instances where the public needs us."