East Sussex residents urged to help reduce false fire alarms

The ESFRS wants to decrease false alarms as they can redirect crews away from other incidents and can potentially put lives at risk by diverting essential services from real fires and rescues.

A spokesperson from the services said, “Over the past 24 hours, we were called to eight false alarms in Brighton, Hove, Bexhill, Burwash, Eastbourne and Newhaven.”

“If you have an alarm, you can help reduce these call-outs.

“Remember, fire alarm systems are there to alert occupants to the fact that there may be a fire and depending on your fire risk assessment and emergency plans, it is normally appropriate to investigate first and only to call the fire service if or when there are any signs to indicate that there is actually a fire.”

The public have also been encouraged to make sure that any automatic alarm system is installed properly and serviced regularly while false alarms are logged in order to identify a potential pattern.

Along with this, cooking fumes were identified by the ESFRS as having a potential threat to set off alarms.

People are urged to use the right extractor fans and to close doors between cooking areas.

Steam was also highlighted as a potential issue.

An ESFRS spokesperson said, “Keep shower rooms well ventilated and doors closed. Signs will remind people if they need to switch off extractor fans or open windows to stop steam building up. Qualified engineers can advise on the best type of detector to use around steamy areas.”

Smoking and aerosol sprays have also been highlighted as potential causes for false fire alarm.

The spokesperson added, “Keep to clearly identified smoking areas that are protected with appropriate detectors. Smoking under smoke detectors will set them off.

“Prevent the use of aerosols near fire alarms detectors or consider different products.”

Finally, the public have been told to be cautious of hot or dusty work as it can set off an alarm.

Dust can also prevent detectors from effectively working so it is essential to plan all hot and dusty work carefully.

To find out more visit https://www.esfrs.org/.