Figures for false alarm calls have been released, along with their reasons, as a means of raising awareness. The fact is, the fire service wastes too much time on false calls, which diverts their service from other necessary jobs, whether that’s fighting active fires or installing fire alarms in Northamptonshire as a preventative measure for households and businesses.
figures for false alarms on the rise
Over 640,000 incidents were recorded by the fire and rescue services in the UK over the year to September 2025, and 39% were down to false alarms. This represents over 250,000 incidents. The figure is up by 11% year on year, and up by 19% when figures are compared against those ten years ago. Actual fires represented 28% of calls, and non-fire call outs such as road traffic incidents, animal assistance and flooding represented 33% of callouts.
Using the service correctly
The public is being encouraged to call the fire service only when necessary and recognise when they can self-serve or deal with fire safety in other ways.
For example, fire alarms Northamptonshire can be installed by firms like https://firealarmsystems.co.uk/. Other non-essential or non-urgent services can be booked via local fire service websites or by non-profits. Homes and businesses can also go online to find out information about fire assessments and other ways to check their fire safety.
The message is to use the fire service appropriately and when it’s needed only, to respect its service and ensure its emergency callout resources are only used in the right way. This approach could save a life.