Rise in false fire alarms in Sutherland prompts councillors to call for information on premises involved

A RISE in the number of false fire alarms in Sutherland has led local councillors to call for more information on the premises involved.

There have been 54 false alarms in the county during the months from April to September this year. In September alone there were 17 false alarms.

That compares with 36 over the same period in 2021 and 48 the previous year.

The figures were contained in a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service report, presented to Sutherland County Committee at its meeting on Monday.

Station Commander Mark Leavey told the meeting that community action teams were working with the premises involved.

He said: "The majority of these (the false fire alarms) are from hospital accommodation or care homes. We are looking into this. Our community action teams and fire safety teams are proactively looking at these premises and giving advice."

But committee chairman Councillor Richard Gale said: "I would welcome a breakdown on this for our next meeting in order to help us understand what kind of premises are involved.

"I appreciate there is a confidentiality aspect but if we could get an idea of what we are looking at."

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