In what is said to be a first for London, the fire service signed an agreement with the hotel chain that makes official the commitment between the two to cut the number of unnecessary callouts and to have a closer working relationship.

 

It follows an ongoing dialogue on safety procedures, where both the hotel group and the Brigade have identified common causes for false fire alarms. Citing one example, a spokesman for the Brigade said: “A lot of fire alarms were set off by guests throwing their clothes over a particular type of lamp, so the Hilton has begun to phase that lamp out.”

 

Since informal discussions began in 2005, the Brigade has reported a reduction of two thirds across the 16 Hilton hotels based in London, he added. 

 

Deputy chairman of London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, councillor Bertha Joseph, said: “This agreement shows how committed the Brigade is to working with businesses and explaining the dangers of fire. Reducing the number of false alarms the Brigade attends frees up firefighters time to train, carry out fire safety work in the community or attend genuine emergencies.”

 

The agreement makes up part of a wider project by London Fire Brigade that has managed to cut the number of false alarm calls received in London by 15 per cent since 2007.