West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service reported responding to fewer than one unwanted fire signal per day in the previous quarter.
Between October 1st and December 31st, 2024, firefighters attended 92 unwanted fire signals—the lowest quarterly figure recorded since the service began keeping records.
The significant reduction follows the introduction of a call challenge policy two years ago.
To compare, the service responded to 436 unwanted fire signals for the same quarter in 2021 – before this policy was implemented.
A performance report also showed sustained good performance in many areas. One particular success was the improvements made around fire engine response times; first and second appliance times had improved from the previous quarter, with second appliances having the strongest response times to date.
The committee also discussed a report from the Chief Fire Officer, summarising the recommendations for fire and rescue services following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service has already considered the recommendations from the Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, and the service is now undertaking the same assurance work surrounding the Phase 2 recommendations which were published in September 2024.
The relevant recommendations from these two national reports will be implemented as soon as possible, and the service has set up a Board to track and monitor the progress of this project.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Cabinet Member for Community Support, Fire and Rescue, said: “The service’s latest performance report makes for positive reading, and I am delighted to see that the number of false alarms has significantly decreased, allowing fire crews to use their time more efficiently by carrying out prevention work in their communities. As a result, the service is regularly meeting its prevention and protection targets, particularly around safe and well visits.”
Dave Bray, Area Manager for Protection, added: “We take the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations very seriously, and our teams are working hard behind the scenes to ensure that each recommendation is implemented in a robust and timely manner.
“It is imperative that we learn from the tragic events of 14 June 2017, and implementing these recommendations is a key priority for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service.”
Chichester Police warn about sharing video of incident
Councils in the South preparing next steps in devolution
Women in the South are ignoring signs of heart attack
A fire has broken out in a house in Birdham
Police in Sussex seize over £1.7million of drugs in organised crime crackdown
Help to host VE Day street parties in Portsmouth
New housing register and advice system to be introduced in the Chichester District
Disqualified motorcycle rider from Littlehampton sentenced over fatal collision
Pride flags in Chichester
Hampshire County Council supports Stubbington Study Centre
On Air