A key policy change has almost halved false fire alarm callouts in one Glasgow area.

Firefighters in Northwest Glasgow responded to a total of 713 false alarms between July and September 2023.

This is down from 1,318 the year before, freeing up crucial time for real fires and training.

The dramatic 46% decrease is largely due to a change in the way the force reacts when a fire alarm goes off at workplaces, shops and offices.

Instead of immediately reacting to the alert, dispatchers now wait for confirmation of flames.

David Murdoch is the local senior officer for the City of Glasgow in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

He said: “Early indicators show our policy change in how we respond to automatic fire alarms is having a positive impact on reducing unnecessary operational demand, meaning, our firefighters are available to attend real emergencies and can undertake training and prevention activities.

“We will continue to monitor our new operational response model to Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals (UFAS) closely and pass our thanks to all stakeholders and partners across Scotland for their cooperation.”

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Statistics on incidents were presented at the Anderston/City/Yorkhill Area Partnership meeting last week.

One man died and four suffered burns or smoke inhalation.

These figures are the lowest for this time period and area since the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was established in 2013.

The number of overall incidents attended fell by 35%, going from 1,947 to 1,261.

It was also revealed that there were 191 deliberate fires and 34 accidental incidents in the area.

Crews were called to 62 housefires and 16 non-domestic blazes.

The UFAS new initiative was introduced in July last year, following a public consultation.

It does not apply to sleeping premises, such as hospitals, care homes, hotels or homes.