In an unprecedented move for a regional emergency service, South Wales Fire & Rescue (SWFRS) announced earlier this month (January 6th, 2025) that they’d be changing the way they respond to Automatic Fire Alarm (AFA) activations at businesses.
This means that they’ll no longer be responding to an automatic fire alarm activation without the fire also being confirmed by a phone call from a member of the public, a staff member, or a fire warden on the site.
For instance, if the alarm automatically activates without further confirmation, the SWFRS will not attend. However, if someone telephones and confirms that they can spot or smell the signs of a fire (smoke or a burning smell, for example), the SWFRS will attend.
The decision comes in the wake of some eye-opening findings from the last year. They’d previously been attending every activation, resulting in a total of 5,982 callouts for AFA activations in businesses over the 23/24 fiscal year – around 31.5% of the SWFRS’s total callouts.
Less than 1% of those callouts were the result of an actual fire, meaning over 99% were false alarms. While it’s not something we’ve seen before, the justification coming from the South Wales Fire & Rescue Service does make sense.
The statistics speak for themselves, but costs will also undoubtedly have been a factor, with the fire service crew attending multiple false flags every day. A publication from the Welsh government back in 2019 placed the cost of false alarms to Wales’ Fire & Rescue services at around £3 million, with untold additional costs stemming from “committing crews and appliances that could be used for other duties”.
The ultimate aim of this initiative is, to quote the South Wales Fire & Rescue Service’s official statement, to “reduce the amount of time and resources going to Unwanted Fire Signals”. It’s hoped that this time can be reallocated to more preventative measures, such as community-focused fire prevention resources.
Of course, while this does look to be a more promising move for many, it can make for an alarming read for businesses across the South Wales area (especially more built-up areas like Cardiff, Bridgend or Newport). There are a few things you can do, however, if you find yourself concerned by these announcements.
While the South Wales Fire & Rescue Service’s statements are a concern, they do not apply to businesses of every type. The SWFRS has issued a comprehensive list of the premises where they’ll still attend automated activations. This includes:
In a nutshell, the SWFRS will still attend an AFA if it takes place at premises where vulnerable people are cared for or educated, where people are likely to sleep, or that has historical, cultural or communal significance.
That still leaves many premises (such as industrial parks, retailers and office blocks) unaccounted for, though.
One of the key pieces of advice we can take from the SWFRS’s announcement is the importance of a strengthened fire risk assessment in place. As you’d expect, their focus is on keeping people safe, and a huge part of that is a purposeful, decisive risk assessment that determines how to investigate the report of a fire.
A good risk assessment will contain all of that information, as well as guidance on how best to keep yourself safe should the worst happen. They’ll also have emergency planning and procedures contained within them, and explain exactly what needs to happen to ensure a timely and proper Fire & Rescue service response.
For some insurers, this is a basic requirement, while others might not require proof of those plans. By reinforcing these risk assessment processes now, you’re ahead of the curve and complying with the requirements of your insurance policies.
Of course, a risk assessment – no matter its scope and robustness – is only part of the battle. There still needs to be someone who can enact those stipulations, and while your staff are all trusted members of what you do, you need someone who understands the stringent demands of fire warden services.
While the SWFRS are undoubtedly an exceptionally professional, robust organisation, it’s a common misconception that they have to attend all automatic alarm activations. There are no requirements within the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 that demand a Fire & Rescue Service (FRS) attend an AFA call if a fire hasn’t been confirmed or suspected.
Of course, there’s the human element to all of this – any FRS will naturally want to attend every call, but for the reasons we’ve already touched on that simply isn’t possible. That’s the driving force behind their current decision, and why we’d strongly advocate for a trained fire warden on your site when it’s unoccupied.
As we’ve discussed, the SWFRS is looking for confirmation (either through sight or smell) of a fire taking place before they respond to the incident. This can prove to be a concern, especially if you’re having to rely on passing members of the public or oversight from nearby businesses.
A fire warden alleviates all those pressures. An expertly trained professional who’s able to immediately react to the first signs of fire, as well as assess the safety and integrity of your property, is the ideal way to assure your premises’ ongoing security.
In the event of an incident, they’re able to visually verify the fire, phone the emergency services immediately, and follow any additional processes you might have outlined (such as closing fire doors). It’s a layer of protection that circumstances like these demand, and offers an ultimate sense of reassurance.
It’s also immensely cost-effective. That same 2019 “Time for Action” publication from the Welsh Government estimates that false AFA activations cost businesses in the region of £29 million every year – a figure that’s only likely to have increased in recent years.
Churchill Support Services are on hand to deliver those exceptional fire warden and safety services, as well as a host of additional responsibilities as standard, including extinguisher and alarm maintenance to ensure that any false activations are minimised.
It’s all part and parcel of a comprehensive fire safety service and ensures that changes to local legislation like those rolled out by South Wales Fire & Rescue Service don’t jeopardise what you’ve worked so hard to build. It’s a service we’re proud to provide, and one we’ve continually refined to ensure you, your staff members and your premises are safe.
Get in touch today, and discuss your options with one of our expert team. While legislation like this is new territory for us all, it’s the kind that we can seamlessly adapt to and deliver without missing a beat.
