{"id":5731,"date":"2025-02-10T14:44:03","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T14:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wembdonparish.gov.uk\/?p=5731"},"modified":"2025-02-10T14:51:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T14:51:11","slug":"fire-service-consultation-automatic-fire-alarms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wembdonparish.gov.uk\/?p=5731","title":{"rendered":"Fire service consultation – automatic fire alarms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue service are running a consultation process to see how they can reduce the number of automatic fire alarms that are attended, with a view to making the Service more efficient, and to ensure that firefighters are able to respond to genuine emergencies. Crews respond to an average of 16 false alarms every day due to automatic fire alarms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An automatic fire alarm (AFA) automatically alerts people that smoke or fire is present in a building. Some alarms, commonly in domestic properties, sound to alert people in the vicinity, while others – more likely properties managed by businesses or occupied by people who are vulnerable – trigger a response from the fire service.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How should the Fire and Rescue Service respond to automatic fire alarms?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Similar to smoke alarms in homes, AFAs in businesses can raise an alarm when there isn\u2019t an emergency, equivalent to when we burn the toast or when dust sets off the alarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief Fire Officer Gavin Ellis said: \u201cWe will always attend if someone has reported a sign of fire.\u202fWe will also always attend domestic properties, such as houses, or where there is a known night-time sleeping risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m aware that any change to fire response can make people feel unsettled. Any change is only to what we will do in response to an automatic alert, not a report of a fire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of this consultation, the Fire service are hosting online question and answer sessions, to answer any questions that people might have about the proposals and listen to their views. At each session, people from across Devon and Somerset will hear from senior leaders in the fire service about the proposed changes and the impact that responding to automatic fire alarms has on the Service, as well as having time to ask any questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dates are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n