Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue visit over 12,000 false and faulty fire alarms since 2019

Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has been called out to over 12,000 false fire alarms over the past five years, a new investigation has revealed.

Figures obtained by Personal Injury Claims UK revealed that the service has visited 12,294 false fire alarms since April 2019, causing a strain both financially and on the use of resources.

The data also shows that the number of annual visits by the service has been between 2,000 and 3,000 over a five-year period, which is around 7 incidents a day.

From 2019 to 2020, the service attended 2,502 false fire alarms, which was the second-highest number of visits over the past five years.

A year later, this number dropped to 2196, and this was caused by a year of restrictions and lockdowns during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the restrictions lifted, the number of false fire alarm call outs increased as, in 2022/23, the number rose to 2474 visits.

Over the past year, the service has experienced another jump in false alarm calls, with the total reaching 2772 in 2023/24.

Some common causes of false fire alarms include: Faulty or poorly designed equipment; Poorly trained users; Lack of maintenance; Fumes from cooking or burnt food; Steam from showers; Dust from building or repair work; Aerosols used near sensors.

Personal Injury Claims UK also obtained figures on how many of these false alarms were caused by faulty equipment.

While the number of faulty fire alarms has fluctuated since 2019/20, faulty equipment has been one of the main reasons for callouts in Buckinghamshire, accounting for around 25% of false fire alarms.

With the number of these call-outs increasing year on year, Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue issued an update on their approach to false alarms.

A statement written on the service’s website said: “Automatic Fire Alarms (AFAs) alert to potential fires. However, many activations are false alarms, termed Unwanted Fire Signals (UwFS).

“These false alarms divert resources from genuine emergencies and pose risks to public safety.

“BFRS will not respond to fire calls generated by AFA systems in non-domestic, medium, and low-risk premises unless a fire is confirmed via a 999 call or there are visible signs of a fire at the location.”

Across the country, false fire alarms continue to be the largest proportion of incidents attended at 38%.

They prove to be costly and disruptive, amounting to around £1 billion a year for the UK, according to a study by BRE Group.

If the trend continues, false alarms could pose an ongoing risk to individuals' safety as well as affect the efficiency of emergency services.

Personal Injury Claims UK offers free advice and support to anyone impacted by a fire, such as those suffering injuries due to faulty appliances or products.

They operate a 24-hour helpline and claim online form, which you can access on their website.