THERE is less than a week to go for residents and business owners to tell Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service their views about how it should respond to automatic fire alarms.

The 12-week consultation closes at midday on Wednesday, April 9.

Responses will inform an independent report that will be produced for senior managers to make a decision.

Firefighters attend thousands of automatic fire alarms that turn out to be false alarms every year.

The service says it has a range of options that set out how it might change its response so that it can provide a better service to its communities.

Project Executive Paul Compton said: ‘What we are trying to achieve with this project is to make sure we are responding to genuine emergencies.

‘Please take the time to look at the options, read the information, and fill in the consultation.’

Last year, crews responded to an average of 16 false alarms every day due to automatic fire alarms.

‘We’re looking to see how we can reduce the number of automatic fire alarms we attend to make our Service more efficient, and make sure our firefighters are able to respond to genuine emergencies’ the fire service said.

‘We will always attend if someone has reported a sign of fire.

‘We will also always attend domestic properties, such as houses, or where there is a known night-time sleeping risk’ it added.

The proposed changes only relate to what the service will do in response to an automatic alert.

More detailed information about the consultation, and a link to a public survey for feedback, is available on the fire service’s website.

The findings report from the consultation and the decision on the proposals will be published by early summer.

Depending on the outcome of the consultation, the changes are likely to be implemented from June 2025, the fire service has said.