FAQs

How do I confirm whether my building will get a response or not?

You can see the list of building types and our attendance model on our website. You can also contact us via afaenquiries@southwales-fire.gov.uk

If I’m a business owner, what do I need to do to prepare for this change?

Ensure that you carry out regular fire risk assessments and manage your premises to reduce the risk of fires, to keep people safe and to minimise the effects of any fires.

Ensure you have an emergency plan and a process in place to safely investigate all AFAs that activate within the premises.

In the event of a confirmed fire, ensure you have a process in place to safely evacuate the building and for a person to call South Wales Fire & Rescue Service (SWFRS) via 999 to confirm that a fire has broken out.

Ensure all employees or people using the premises are aware of your processes above.

Ensure you have a fire plan in place and that all employees are aware of what action to take to both prevent a fire.

What do I do if I hear the fire alarm?

If I call in because an AFA is going off but I’m not sure if there’s a fire, will SWFRS still attend?

This will depend on what information you can give. If you think it is a residential property, one of the exemptions, or a property with signs of fire such as smoke issuing, then we will still attend.

However, if you know it to be a property with no sleeping risk, and there is no sign of fire, we will not attend.

If I hear a fire alarm, how do I investigate? What am I expected to do to investigate? Will investigating the cause of the activation put me in danger?

This procedure should all be decided beforehand, considered in line with the fire risk assessment for the premises, and drawn up in a tailored emergency plan. Nobody should be put in danger, and you should not put yourself in danger. You can read our guidance on ‘safe investigations on fire alarm signals’ here: Guidance on Safe Investigation of Fire Alarm Signals

Insurance and legal duty

Do I need to inform my current insurers of your change in response to AFA activations?

This is a matter between you and your insurer, it is not a matter for us to comment on. However, SWFRS can confirm that a response will continue to be sent to all confirmed fires in our area.

Does SWFRS have a legal duty to attend?

The statutory duties of Fire and Rescue Services in England and Wales are set out in the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. There are no requirements within this act that compel a fire and rescue service to attend a call to an AFA if no fire is suspected or confirmed.

How does this change my fire safety arrangements?

You need to make arrangements to be able to differentiate between AFAs that are false alarms and those that are confirmed fires. SWFRS will only send a response to confirmed fires in some building types during daytime hours if a fire is confirmed or the premises is exempt from this policy.

If your premises is exempt, then you must ensure that the person responsible for calling SWFRS via 999 in the event of a fire is aware of the exemption and can relay that information to us in that call.

Please note that all AFA calls to fire in specific building types during daytime hours will be subject to consideration before any emergency response is made, so please ensure the advice above is clearly understood by your call operators, and do not assume any exemptions.

Will I still get a response? What do I have to do differently?

Some premises will not receive a response to AFAs from us during daytime hours. SWFRS will only send a response to AFAs in specific buildings during daytime hours if a fire is confirmed or the premises is exempt from this policy.

SWFRS Proposed AFA response model

Please note that all AFA calls to fire in certain buildings between the hours of 08:00 and 17:59 will be subject to consideration before any emergency response is made, so please ensure the advice above is clearly understood by your call operators and do not assume any exemptions.

Is the Fire Service giving training to businesses and responsible person/s (RPs)?

No, the responsibility of staff training for commercial premises does not fall under the remit of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. If you own, manage, or operate a business, you need to comply with fire safety law. The main law is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 or “the Fire Safety Order”. It applies across England and Wales and came into force on 1 October 2006. As part of your responsibilities under the Order, you need to make sure your employees are provided with adequate fire safety training.

What if my fire risk assessment does not cover this change?

All existing fire risk assessments and general fire precaution arrangements for your premises should be on the basis of evacuation without the need for intervention by the fire and rescue service.

If I have multi-sensor detectors installed in my building/s would this remove the need for the 999 calls in relation to AFAs? And would this mean automatic attendance by SWFRS, as it would be treated as a confirmed fire?

You need to make arrangements to be able to differentiate between AFAs that are false alarms and those that are confirmed fires. SWFRS will only send a response to confirmed fires in specific buildings during daytime hours if a fire is confirmed or the premises are exempt from this policy.

If your premises has multiple sensors actuating, then ensure the person responsible for calling SWFRS via 999 in the event of a fire relays that information to in that call.

Please note that all AFA calls to fire in certain buildings in daytime hours, will be subject to consideration before any emergency response is made, so please ensure the advice above is clearly understood by your call operators and do not assume any automatic response.

Can alarm receiving centres identify the device which has actuated, or are most only able to report a general fire alarm signal?

These arrangements are many and varied, so there is no single answer.

Responsible person/s need to make arrangements to ensure alarm receiving centres will be able to differentiate between AFAs that are false alarms and those that are confirmed fires. SWFRS will only send a response to confirmed fires in certain buildings during daytime hours if a fire is confirmed or the premises are exempt from this policy.

Further information and recommendations on the management of fire detection and alarm systems in the workplace is available here.

Where can I find the information that I need?

You can find all the information on our Business Fire Safety page.