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| London Fire Brigade may recoup £1.3m from false alarm calls | London Fire Brigade may recoup £1.3m from false alarm calls |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is looking at plans to recoup the costs of false alarm calls by imposing fines on the worst repeat offenders. | The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is looking at plans to recoup the costs of false alarm calls by imposing fines on the worst repeat offenders. |
| London's hospitals, which account for a large number of the calls due to automatic detectors, could face nearly £700,000 a year in penalties. | |
| Had the plans been in place last year, LFB says it would have recouped £1.3m. | Had the plans been in place last year, LFB says it would have recouped £1.3m. |
| Ron Dobson, LFB commissioner, said the proposals would allow crews to attend more "genuine emergencies". | Ron Dobson, LFB commissioner, said the proposals would allow crews to attend more "genuine emergencies". |
| False alarms are estimated to cost LFB around £37m each year. | False alarms are estimated to cost LFB around £37m each year. |
| The UK economy loses around a billion pounds per year due to false calls. | The UK economy loses around a billion pounds per year due to false calls. |
| £290 per engine | £290 per engine |
| Under the new proposals, the brigade would begin to recover costs from venues with more than 10 false alarms over a 12-month period. | Under the new proposals, the brigade would begin to recover costs from venues with more than 10 false alarms over a 12-month period. |
| Building owners could face charges of at least £290 for each fire engine that attends. | Building owners could face charges of at least £290 for each fire engine that attends. |
| The proposals form part of the Draft Fifth London Safety Plan consultation, which is exploring potential new policies for LFB. | The proposals form part of the Draft Fifth London Safety Plan consultation, which is exploring potential new policies for LFB. |
| False alarms generated by automatic fire alarm and fire detection systems account for more than 40,000 of call outs every year, making up a third of all incidents for fire crews in London. | False alarms generated by automatic fire alarm and fire detection systems account for more than 40,000 of call outs every year, making up a third of all incidents for fire crews in London. |
| They are commonly caused by faulty or badly maintained systems or things like burnt toast, steam or cigarette smoke. | They are commonly caused by faulty or badly maintained systems or things like burnt toast, steam or cigarette smoke. |
| LFB says the majority of false alarms in 2012 came from hospitals, with 2,683 calls. | LFB says the majority of false alarms in 2012 came from hospitals, with 2,683 calls. |
| Student halls of residence, airports and hotels were among the other worst offenders. | Student halls of residence, airports and hotels were among the other worst offenders. |
| 'Poor management' | 'Poor management' |
| Ron Dobson, LFB commissioner, said firefighters ought to be available to attend "genuine emergencies" rather than having to deal with "thousands of false alarms". | Ron Dobson, LFB commissioner, said firefighters ought to be available to attend "genuine emergencies" rather than having to deal with "thousands of false alarms". |
| "Often false alarms are caused by poor management or maintenance of alarm systems," he said. | "Often false alarms are caused by poor management or maintenance of alarm systems," he said. |
| Mr Dobson added that the plan was "not about making money". | Mr Dobson added that the plan was "not about making money". |
| Care homes and sheltered housing would not be included in the proposals as they are categorised as domestic premises. | Care homes and sheltered housing would not be included in the proposals as they are categorised as domestic premises. |
| The consultation, which is set to end on 17 June, includes public meetings across London's boroughs. | The consultation, which is set to end on 17 June, includes public meetings across London's boroughs. |
| *Figures from LFB | *Figures from LFB |