Automatic Fire Alarm, Reading | Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service

At 9:29am on Wednesday, 6 March, we received a call following an automatic fire alarm notification to a block of flats on Bridge Street in Reading. A crew from Whitley Wood Fire Station was sent to the scene. Upon arrival, it was confirmed as a false alarm. It is believed that the fire alarm was activated by building works taking place. The Service is currently consulting on how it responds to automatic fire alarms across the County. While the consultation will not affect the way the Service responds to automatic fire alarm notifications in higher risk buildings, where anyone sleeps, such as hotels, hospitals, care homes, houses, and flats, the Service is consulting on how it responds to other buildings. These include shops, offices, leisure centres, colleges, sports grounds, libraries, schools and health centres. A full list of all buildings affected by the consultation is available on the RBFRS website. This is because 99% of the automatic fire alarm calls received are false alarms. Attending these types of incidents takes time and resource and therefore causes significant disruption to the delivery of essential services and training. The consultation will run for 10 weeks from Monday, 4 March to Monday, 13 May 2024. To take part in the consultation, please visit: rbfrs.co.uk/haveyoursay. Most importantly, the Service will continue to maintain an emergency response to 999 calls, confirmed fires and to automatic fire alarm notifications from residential homes.