Smoke alarm systems have triggered thousands of false alarms for the West Midlands Fire Service.
Home Office data revealed that more than 27,000 false alarm incidents were recorded by the fire and rescue service for WMFS, covering the three recent financial years (2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20).
A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said: “It potentially diverts our crews away from a genuine emergency, from their prevention or protection work, or from training.
“It also increases the risk to members of the public and our crews as they respond on blue lights to provide a timely response.”
Nearly one in five false alarm incidents involved smoke alarm systems, covering these three financial years for the fire service.
In comparison, false alarms involving smoke/condensation accounted for more than 3,000 false alarms being attended to by WMFS.
Birmingham Eastside has contacted the Fire Brigade Union and National Fire Chiefs Council for further comment.
