New figures reveal 40 per cent of calls to Notts fire service are false alarms

A ‘high percentage’ of incidents attended by Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service last year were false alarms, reports show.
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Papers show 40 per cent of all incidents in the year to December 2021 were false alarms.

However, this marked a reduction in the statistics from 2020/21 which showed 42 per cent of all incidents attended were false alarms.

Area Manager Mick Sharman, speaking at a Nottinghamshire Fire Authority meeting, said a high number of the calls come from local hospitals and other big institutions.

Area Manager Mick Sharman, Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service area manager for response.Area Manager Mick Sharman, Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service area manager for response.
Area Manager Mick Sharman, Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service area manager for response.

Mr Sharman said: “False alarms have reduced this year on last year, but it continues to be a high percentage of the incidents we attend.

“Quite interestingly, out of those 40 per cent there is a small number of premises who do the majority of those incidents, and they are generally the city hospitals, the prisons and other community-based settings.

“We continue to work with the responsible persons at these premises to reduce down those activities with some success. The key to it is education.”

A total of 7,151 incidents were attended by the service in the year to December 2021, which is in line with figures from previous years.

Area Manager Bryn Coleman, Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service head of prevention, protection and fire investigation.Area Manager Bryn Coleman, Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service head of prevention, protection and fire investigation.
Area Manager Bryn Coleman, Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service head of prevention, protection and fire investigation.

Area Manager Bryn Coleman said: “It is mainly the hospitals which have significant figures. We have a quarterly meeting with all the hospitals.

“You can imagine at Queen’s Medical Centre how many detectors there are across such a complicated building with very vulnerable people in it.

“They are looking at implementing new fire alarm systems across the university hospitals which should reduce some of that.”