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ITEM EX9

EXECUTIVE – 10 JUNE 2003

MOBILISATION POLICY ON AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARM SIGNALS

Report by Director of Community Safety & Chief Fire Officer

1. This report outlines the progress made to reduce the number of unwanted fire signals responded to by the Fire & Rescue Service. It recommends endorsement of a policy, run as a pilot over the last four months, which has significantly reduced the number of undesired signals whilst improving local fire safety arrangements, lessened the impact on retained personnel and their employers, and provided more opportunities for productive Community Safety work.

Background

2. Automatic fire alarms (AFAs) are complex, electrically based systems fitted to non-domestic property such as offices, factories, hotels and residential homes. Their purpose is to warn all occupants of a fire at an early stage. The number of AFA installations has increased dramatically over the years with a range of different systems. Whilst many are appropriately specified, well designed, properly maintained and correctly used, others result in numerous unnecessary actuations due to non-fire related accidental reasons or system faults. Research over the last three years confirms that 97-98% of fire alarm actuations are not a result of fires. During a year there have typically been about 4000 unwanted fire alarm signals within the county. Moreover, due to the high rate of false alarms generated by automatic alarms, experience has shown that occupiers do not rely solely on the AFA to confirm an actual fire.
3. Historically, advice given to occupiers has been to alert the Fire Service on activation of the alarm. However, since activation of the AFA in the vast majority of cases is a false alarm and not due to an actual fire, this has therefore resulted in unnecessary attendances by fire appliances in a large number of cases.
4. Acknowledging the high likelihood of a false alarm, the brigade some years ago reduced the response to AFA actuations to one pump, although this has not reduced the growing number of alarm signals being received. National Performance Indicators show that Oxfordshire has one of the highest percentages of unwanted fire signals from automatic fire alarms in the country, which has concerned the management team for some time.
5. In September 2000, the Chief Fire Officer raised his concerns about the implications of unwanted fire signals with the Public Protection Committee. These concerns related to:

1. the reduced availability of operational crews for genuine emergencies;
2. the impact on primary employers of retained firefighters of releasing people for false alarms;
3. the increased risk to the public, fire service personnel and other road users of ‘blue light’ mobilisations in response to unwanted fire signals;
4. the potential complacency of managers and occupiers from unreliable alarm systems;
5. the cost of attending unwanted fire signals where funding could be better utilised elsewhere; and
6. the disruption of business continuity to occupiers and to training and other work for the Fire & Rescue Service.

6. Proposals were set out aimed at reducing the number of unwanted fire signals, including the sanction of disconnection of an AFA from Fire Control in the event of false alarms occurring over an identified threshold. The Committee supported the recommendations.

Initiatives since September 2000

7. Initially, the worst offending sites were targeted by local crews and officers. Although some short term successes were noted, occupiers retained the comfort of knowing that the Fire Service would attend to deal with their problems. In addition, there was a financial disincentive for retained crews to reduce the number of calls they attended.
8. During the early part of 2002, two officers were seconded to work exclusively with the management teams for the worst offending sites. Their site-specific assessments and personal involvement working with site managers led to more effective management of fire safety and resulted in a marked improvement. Regrettably, as soon as the officers returned to their other work, the number of unwanted fire signals increased again.
9. Whilst preparing for a national fire strike, it became clear that the limited resources available to the military would be too stretched to deal with all calls and some sifting and prioritisation would be necessary to ensure emergencies could be responded to. Nationally, a decision was taken that fire alarm signals would only receive a response once a follow-up call was received confirming that there was a fire. In preparation for this situation, all premises known to Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service to have AFA systems received a letter from the Chief Fire Officer notifying them of this decision and urging them to ensure that they had satisfactory arrangements for confirming what had caused the fire alarm to actuate. In addition, the top 40/50 high-risk sites received personal visits from officers to discuss their fire safety arrangements.
10. During each period of industrial action, there was a marked reduction in the number of AFA calls received, the majority of which were not responded to as the caller confirmed that no fire was present, or failed to call back having checked the presence of fire. Almost immediately, after the return to normal fire service working, the number of unwanted fire signals returned to its former high level.
11. The Management Team of Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service considered that the temporary arrangements made at previously offending sites were consistent with the standards required at all times and therefore made a conscious decision to retain the policy for a trial period of only mobilising to AFA actuations when there was confirmation of fire. This was discussed and agreed with the Executive Member for Community Safety. Fire Control staff were instructed to interrogate callers further to establish what had caused the fire alarm to actuate prior to mobilising or, where there was no fire evident, to inform the occupiers to manage the restoration of normal working at the premises without the need for Fire Service attendance.

Trial Period of Working to an Amended Policy

12. A number of control measures has been introduced in conjunction with this policy which have the effect of local managers/employers taking more ownership for ensuring efficient fire safety arrangements at their premises. This has been supported by advice and guidance from Fire Service personnel. Under these arrangements managers/employers are expected to undertake the following (the first three of which are already the legal responsibility of managers):
1. make effective arrangements for establishing the cause of fire alarm actuations which then need to be communicated to Fire Control;
   
   
2. ensure that emergency plans include provision for all non-essential persons to immediately evacuate the building when the fire alarm sounds, so as to ensure the safety of all occupants;
   
   
3. designate a responsible person(s) to manage the fire alarm event and to establish the cause of the alarm without putting themselves at risk; and
   
   
4. train designated staff to comply with this.
   
   
13. The full attendance appropriate to deal with the incident is despatched without delay when a fire is confirmed by the premises.
14. Some fire alarms in buildings are connected to Alarm Receiving Centres (ARCs), who notify the fire brigade on behalf of the building occupiers. ARCs have been notified of this policy decision and asked to ensure that they have effective arrangements for contacting the site to confirm the cause of the alarm.
15. Fire Safety officers have been asked to advise occupiers as follows: If a fire is discovered, get out, stay out, call the fire brigade out. If a fire alarm actuates, evacuate the premises, check the cause of the alarm actuation and, if a fire is confirmed, call the fire brigade.
16. Fire Control notify the local fire officer of every alarm signal received which does not warrant a response. An officer follows this up by contacting the premises and discussing the management of their fire alarm system.
17. The policy of only mobilising after an AFA signal is confirmed as a fire is generic and the following exceptions apply:

1. unoccupied buildings – when it would be impossible to confirm with occupants;
2. sleeping risks – where vulnerable groups are accommodated during the hours of 2200-0800hrs when minimal staff may be available and whose priority will be to assist the evacuation of occupants;
3. other premises where a specific risk assessment by Fire Service personnel concludes that local arrangements are reasonable but a residual risk to occupants remains;
4. other premises where a specific site risk assessment gives other valid reasons why a delayed response is undesirable and there is a low chance of an unwanted fire signal.

Effects of the Change of Policy

18. During the first four months of implementing this policy on a trial basis, there have been significant improvements in fire safety arrangements at many of the larger sites in the County, particularly at those sites that were responsible for a high proportion of unwanted calls. The effect has been that the number of calls received from ARCs is down by a third. Of those received, half are filtered out following interrogation of the reasons for the alarm actuating and confirmation that no fire exists. The number of fire appliance mobilisations has reduced to a third of its previous rate.
19. During 2002, the brigade mobilised appliances to 3,962 fire alarm actuations. In the period 1 January – 30 March 2003, only 333 mobilisations to fire alarm signals occurred which, projected for the rest of the year, suggests 1332 calls per year. All alarm signals received due to genuine fires have been confirmed very quickly and a full attendance despatched without delay.
20. Other positive effects of this policy have been:
    
    

1. a reduction in the number of emergency vehicle movements, reducing risks to firefighters, pedestrians and other road users;
2. a reduction in vehicle accidents caused by unnecessary emergency responses (there have been 16 vehicle accidents in these circumstances over the last three years);
3. a reduction in the number of occasions that retained personnel are called away from their work or home unnecessarily;
4. a reduction of impact on local employers from not losing retained firefighters to attend AFAs;
5. closer working relationships with occupiers to assist them in meeting their Health and Safety responsibilities in relation to Fire Safety;
6. a reduction in the disruption caused by unwanted calls to employers and occupiers;
7. the ability to utilise our wholetime resources more efficiently on Community Safety initiatives;
8. an ability to redeploy retained costs for Community Safety initiatives.
   
   
21. There is great national interest in this initiative which demonstrates a positive approach to integrated fire risk management and may well be used as national Best Practice. During a recent conference of Principal Fire Officers on 10 May 2003, the Minister responsible for Fire Policy advocated this type of approach to all fire services.
22. The advice of the Solicitor to the Council is that the policy is lawful. He confirms that it does not breach any duty of care owed to the public. The County Council’s insurers confirm that the change in policy will not affect the cover currently provided, which will continue to apply in respect of both the liability of the Fire Service and the risk to Council properties.

Consultation

23. Prior to initial strike action by the Fire Brigades Union in November 2002, all properties that we are aware of with AFA systems were written to, advising them that no response could be expected during the strike unless a fire was confirmed. Following the strikes, the same premises were advised that this policy would be retained and the justification for the decision was provided in detail. Many communications were received, which have all been satisfactorily dealt with and approximately fifty site visits were made by Fire Officers to provide specific advice on fire safety management arrangements at the sites.
24. ARCs have been advised of the policy, which has also been communicated to the local fire liaison panel, representative bodies and employees. A number of adjustments to the original policy have been made as a result of these consultations.

Financial & Staffing Implications

25. Evidence from the first four months of running this pilot scheme indicates a substantial reduction in the number of unwanted calls, although only 15% directly affect retained fire stations. This has resulted in a reduction in unnecessary mobilisations, the savings from which will be deployed on other community safety initiatives. The other 85% of calls release wholetime staff for more productive duties and there are no overall staffing implications as a result of this decision at this time.

RECOMMENDATIONS

26. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to endorse the policy of only responding to automatic fire alarm actuations when confirmation is received that there is a fire at the premises, on the basis and subject to the exceptions set out in the report and to any detailed adjustments required by further risk assessments by the Director for Community Safety & Chief Fire Officer.

JOHN PARRY
Director for Community Safety & Chief Fire Officer

Background Papers: Nil

Contact Officer: John Hurren, Deputy Chief Fire Officer (Tel: 01865-855205)

May 2003

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