Stallard Kane: Important Update for Clients on New Policy for Automatic Fire Alarms in London

Policy Change Effective October 2024

Starting from October 1, 2024, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) will implement a new policy regarding automatic fire alarms (AFAs) in commercial buildings. As part of this change, the LFB will no longer attend AFAs in most non-residential buildings, including office blocks and industrial estates, during daytime hours (7:00 am to 8:30 pm) unless a call confirms an actual fire.

Rationale Behind the Change

In the 2023/24 period, AFAs accounted for 40% of all LFB incidents, totalling 52,000 calls. However, fewer than one per cent of these calls from non-residential AFAs were fires. By reducing the time and resources spent on unwanted fire signals (UwFS), the LFB can allocate more attention to critical areas such as fire prevention and emergency response.

Exceptions to the Policy

This policy change will not apply to all buildings. Exemptions include:

• Private dwellings/houses
• Flats (including high-rise)
• Houses in multiple occupation
• Mobile/park homes
• Houseboats
• Hospitals
• Residential care homes, nursing homes, and hospices
• Children's homes
• Specialised housing premises (e.g., sheltered housing, extra care sheltered housing, supported living)
• Student accommodation/halls of residence
• Residential boarding schools
• Hotels, motels, B&Bs, and other guest accommodations
• Hostels (e.g., homeless, rehabilitation)/youth hostels
• Prisons, young offenders' institutions, and other secure establishments
• Heritage buildings
• Schools
• Nurseries
• Buildings of substantial public significance identified as exempt by LFB

What This Means for Responsible Persons

For Non-Exempt Buildings:

• If you are responsible for a commercial building not on the exemption list, you must confirm an actual fire by calling 999 if an AFA is triggered during daytime hours.
• Please review and update your fire risk assessment to ensure it reflects this new policy.
• The LFB will still attend AFAs between 7:00 pm and 8:30 am.

For Exempt Buildings:

• Ensure the individual responsible for calling 999 in case of a fire knows the building's exemption and can relay this information to the LFB during the call.
• Note that all AFA calls to the LFB during daytime hours will be subject to consideration before any emergency response is made. Ensure your call operators understand this policy clearly and do not assume any exemptions.

If your property is not exempt, then this may mean that both your fire risk assessment and fire procedures require a review. To get this arranged, or for any more details on the changes including any training requirements, don’t hesitate to contact your dedicated advisor or the Risk Solutions team on RiskSolutions@skaltd.co.uk