Consultation on automatic fire alarms closes
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The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has closed its 12-week consultation where it sought the views from the people of Scotland on the service’s response to automatic fire alarms.
Each year, the SFRS attends more than 28,000 false alarms from workplace automatic fire alarms, known as AFAs.
The aim of the consultation was to gather views on the options, reduce the number of false alarms attended and allow firefighters to use that time to do more for the communities of Scotland.
The consultation received around 600 responses from members of the public, staff, partner agencies and businesses who may be impacted by the service's proposals.
Assistant Chief Officer Stuart Stevens, said: “We are grateful to the public and our partners for sharing their views on our proposals.
"Unwanted fire alarm signals alerts account for almost one third of fire and rescue activity across Scotland. They place a drain on front line services, increase risk to road users and cause interruption to the business sector and communities.
“If we can change how we respond to these alerts, potentially 64,000 hours per year of our staff’s time can be released for other activities, including training and developing firefighters with additional skills to meet the changing needs of Scotland and help keep people safer than ever before.
“We will also be able to invest more time to support workplaces and prevent false alarms from happening by working with those who have a legal responsibility for fire safety, known as a duty holder, to understand their obligations."
The SFRS will now analyse and consider all responses before a report, with the recommended preferred option, is prepared for the SFRS board’s consideration in December.
The SFRS will look to start implementing any changes in 2022, through a carefully planned and managed approach, which will include working with stakeholders and staff directly affected by any changes implemented.
