West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service does not automatically attend fire alarms in low-risk commercial buildings, such as shops, offices and factories, unless someone confirms there is a fire.
When a fire alarm sounds, our control room staff will contact the building to check whether there is a fire before sending a fire engine.
Why we check before sending a fire engine
Between 2020 and 2023, our crews attended about 1,500 automatic fire alarm call-outs in commercial buildings each year. Nearly all of them (98.8%) were false alarms.
This meant fire crews could not respond as quickly to real emergencies where people could be at risk.
Sending a fire engine to an incident costs about £600 per hour.
By checking whether there is a fire before sending a crew, we can spend more time:
- responding to real emergencies
- carrying out community safety work
- training our staff
Since introducing this process, we have reduced automatic fire alarm call-outs by 70%.
We consulted residents and organisations before making this change. The consultation was part of our Community Risk Management Plan 2026 to 2030.
Buildings where this process does not apply
This process does not apply to some higher-risk buildings where we will continue to respond to automatic fire alarms. These include:
- homes
- hotels
- hospitals
- other residential buildings
Our legal responsibilities
Fire and rescue services must respond to fires and protect people and property. However, the law does not require fire and rescue services to attend every automatic fire alarm to find out whether there is a fire.
In workplaces and other non-domestic buildings, covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person for fire safety must make sure people can stay safe if there is a fire. This includes having clear plans for what to do when the fire alarm sounds.
Investigating a fire alarm safely
You should never put yourself at risk when a fire alarm sounds. Staff and building users should know how to respond safely. The responsible person should make sure staff are trained to investigate alarms safely.
Do not ignore a fire alarm or assume someone has already called the fire service.
If you discover a fire:
- call 999 immediately
- follow your evacuation procedures
- go to the assembly point
- complete a roll call if needed
The responsible person must make sure fire alarm investigation procedures are suitable and match the building's fire risk assessment.
Confirming a building is safe
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person should make sure staff are trained to investigate fire alarms and confirm whether there is a fire.
Staff should follow the building's fire safety procedures before declaring the area safe.
Reducing false alarms
Automatic fire alarm systems detect fires, but other causes can sometimes trigger them.
You can help reduce false alarms by:
- installing the right fire alarm system for your building
- servicing and testing the system regularly
- following current British Standards, such as BS 5839-1
- keeping doors closed when cooking
Telling your insurance company
You should tell your insurance company about our automatic fire alarm policy.
West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service will always attend if someone confirms there is a fire.
Further information
Further information is available in our Fire safety for advice for business section and our interactive business fire safety awareness tool.