One fifth of all calls to East Sussex fire service are false alarms in Brighton & Hove
One in five of all calls to East Sussex Fire and Rescue – almost 40 a week – were false alarms in Brighton & Hove during 2016/17.
Across the entire county of East Sussex almost 3 in 10 calls were false alarms, making nearly half of all calls to the fire service unnecessary.
Non-emergency lift rescues have also prevented fire crews from being available to deal with real emergencies.
Fire chiefs have now urged people to help reduce the number of false alarms and unnecessary lift rescues.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: “In Brighton and Hove there were 1,913 false alarms in 2016-17.”
Of those 1,359 were automatic fire alarms.
Fire crews were called out to people trapped in lifts in Brighton & Hove 181 times in the same year, compared with 157 across the rest of the county.
The fire service said: “East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is beginning fresh efforts at reducing the number of false alarms and non-emergency lift calls.
“In the year 2016-17 the service responded to 9,144 incidents.
“Of those 4,514 (49.4%) were false alarms, including 3,177 from automatic fire alarm systems.
“There were 338 lift releases in the same period.”
The fire service is in the process of sending out letters to properties where there have been repeated call outs.
They are urging the building’s owner or occupants to find a way to deal with these non-emergency events so that when they happen people do not rely on calling 999. They suggest a non-emergency lift release service and communications facilities inside the elevator so those stuck inside can raise the alarm.
Former Brighton & Hove fire commander Mark Matthews, now assistant director of safer communities, said: “It’s important that we are not distracted from real emergencies by call outs which could have been prevented.
“We are asking (businesses, landlords and property owners) to follow our advice and take responsibility for their premises and by doing so ensure our crews remain available for life-saving incidents.”
By Clare Calder
