Business and industry fire

Fire can have a devastating toll on businesses, destroying livelihoods and negatively impacting the community. They can also cause significant loss of infrastructure, income, productivity and stock. In devastating instances loss of life, injury, unemployment and bankruptcy can be the result of a fire.

It is important steps are taken to maintain a safe workplace and mitigate the risk of fire in your business. Some ways Businesses can protect themselves from fire include:

False fire alarms

Each year, DFES is committed to reducing the number of false fire alarms responded to.

False fire alarms occur when the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) responds to an alarm activation when there is no fire. False fire alarms cause community disruption, complacency, and business downtime due to evacuations, and divert responders away from genuine emergencies, potentially resulting in loss of life and property.

The Fire Brigades Act of 1942 mandates that DFES respond to a fire call. False fire alarms are classified into two types: those generated by Direct Brigade Alarms and those generated by privately monitored alarms.

In the fiscal year 2022/23, firefighters responded to more than 8,800 false fire alarm activations, which is equivalent to more than 24 false fire alarm responses per day.

False fire alarm fee - fact sheet (PDF - 1.1mb) Managing false fire alarms - fact sheet (PDF - 565kb)

Application to waive a false fire alarm fee

If you believe you have been wrongly charged a false fire alarm fee, or received an incorrect notification of attendance email, please complete and submit an application to waive a false fire alarm fee with any relevant supporting documentation within 21 days from the date on the invoice or email. This is in accordance with Section 36ZL (1)(d)(i) of the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1998.

Your application will be assessed, and you will be notified of the outcome in writing.

If you require assistance in implementing strategies to minimise false fire alarm activations speak to a registered and certified alarm installer and review the Managing False Fire Alarms factsheet here.

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