Who pays for callout?

A consultation exercise began this week into who should pay when automatic alarms go off at business premises.

More than 2,000 businesses will be asked for their views by the Birkenshaw-based West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority.

Recent government legislation now allows fire authorities to charge for attending automatic false alarms at business premises where the call is either found to be false, the result of incorrectly installed or faulty equipment or where there is a persistent problem

On average, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service attends more than 5,000 calls to commercial premises each year after fire alarms are activated. And 98.7 per cent of these calls turn out to be a false alarm – around 14 false alarms a day. The consultation began on Monday and will run for two months. To take part visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/6TQQGLC.