Warning as hoax calls made to fire service during lockdown
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue has been called out to almost 600 false alarms since the coronavirus lockdown began - 17 of which were hoax calls.
Crews have dealt with 587 false alarms out of 2,832 calls between March 23 and May 28.
A total of 356 have been made with good intentions, says the service, and 214 have been deemed as a result of an equipment fault – but a total of 17 have been labelled by the fire service as being a hoax.
Deputy chief fire officer Rob Barber said: "Lockdown has been an incredibly challenging time for all of us and we are doing all we can to ensure our communities are kept safe during this period of uncertainty.
"False alarm calls are inevitable with the majority of people getting in touch with good intentions – however, it’s extremely disappointing when we received hoax calls – 17 in lockdown is 17 too many.
"These malicious calls are a complete waste of our time and put the lives of our crews and the public at risk – with unnecessary journeys on blue lights.
"The public are our eyes and ears to fires across the county and we’re grateful for the help we get.
"We encourage people to get in touch if they genuinely believe they see a fire but these fake calls cause unnecessary pressure to our resources and we ask everyone to be more responsible and respectful when it comes to phoning in."
