Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service visit over 3,000 false fire alarms since 2019

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has been called out to over 3,000 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 3,462 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 600 and 900 over a five-year period, which is around 2 incidents a day.

From 2019 to 2020, the service attended 676 false fire alarms, which was the second-highest number of visits over the past five years.

Two years later, this number decreased to 584, and this was caused by restrictions and lockdowns during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the restrictions lifted, the number of false fire alarm callouts increased to 651 in 2022/23.

Over the past year, the service has experienced another jump in false alarm calls, with the total reaching 877 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

With the number of these call-outs increasing year on year, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue have explained their call-out and charges policy.

A statement written on the service’s website said: “We visit and respond to incidents for free as a public service, yet here are some incidents or call-outs that we charge for.

“Special services are incidents we visit that are not fires or false fire alarms and could result in charges, such as the loan of equipment, interviews with officers, providing fire reports from our Incident Reporting System (IRS).”

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.