The University of Sussex was named the worst offender in East Sussex for false fire alarms triggered by automatic alarm systems last year, after 161 unnecessary call-outs. The number of false fire alarms triggered by the systems has led to a review of the speed at which the calls are responded to by the emergency services.
Currently the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service responds to these alarms, where there is no call of confirmation that there is a fire, as quickly as any other emergency situation. However, the sheer number of false alarms the service receives has led some officials to question whether the risk to other road users outweighs the risks of arriving at the scene of a potential fire after a slower journey.
In 95% of call-outs in East Sussex last year from automatic alarm systems there was no fire or no need for fire-fighters.
