Fire crews across Devon set to change how they respond to alarms

From Tuesday, 4 November, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service will introduce new rules on how it responds to automatic fire alarms, in a move designed to cut false callouts and ensure crews are ready for genuine emergencies across Exeter and the wider region. 

Over the past five years, the service has been alerted almost 58,000 times by automatic alarms, yet fewer than two per cent of those incidents were confirmed as real fires. 

The change, which follows months of consultation with the public, businesses and staff, will see firefighters no longer automatically attending certain types of alarm activations unless there are clear signs of fire.

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Industrial, commercial, and public venues such as retail outlets and assembly buildings will now be expected to confirm a fire before crews are called out. In residential settings, the new approach will be introduced gradually, beginning with premises such as prisons, hospitals and boarding schools. 

High-risk sites including care homes, houses of multiple occupation and sheltered accommodation will remain exempt.

Domestic properties will not be affected, with firefighters continuing to respond immediately to any reports of fire in homes across the city.

Chief Fire Officer Gavin Ellis said the changes are intended to make the best use of firefighters’ time and keep communities safe: “These changes will help us to keep our fire crews available for real emergencies and prevention work rather than attending false alarms,” he said. 

“We will always attend if someone has reported a sign of fire. The changes are only to what we will do in response to an automatic alert, not a report of a fire.”

The updated policy builds on one introduced 12 years ago, when the Service stopped attending automatic fire alarms at non-domestic properties during weekday working hours unless there was a confirmed fire.

For firefighters at Danes Road Fire Station, the new policy means fewer unnecessary callouts and more time for community safety visits, training and preparation for serious incidents. Officials say the change could save around £178,000 a year, while also reducing fuel use, road risk and the Service’s carbon footprint. 

Business owners are being reminded of their responsibility to ensure they have effective warning systems and clear procedures for reporting a confirmed fire.

More information about the new policy can be found on the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service website.