Fire false alarms make up the largest proportion of incident types attended by fire and rescue services (FRSs) in England, at 40% in the year ending 31 March 2018. Attendance at fire false alarm and fire incidents have declined over the long term, but fire false alarms to a lesser extent. This research explored trends in fire false alarms from the years ending 31 March 2000 to 2018 and assessed the extent to which fire false alarm policies put in place by FRSs have contributed to the long-term decline in the number of fire false alarms attended.

While the way in which fire false alarm policies are implemented across FRSs varies, they can be broadly categorised as engaging with alarm receiving centres (ARCs), determining attendance to automatic fire alarm (AFA) calls, call challenging 999 calls, and engaging with the community and businesses through education and initiatives.