Hoax calls

Hoax calls endanger the lives of others – if a fire crew is attending a hoax call they are not available to attend a real emergency.

All emergency calls taken by our fire control room are recorded, this includes the caller’s number and caller location based on mobile GPS.  Any call that we find out to be a hoax call will be passed onto North Yorkshire Police.

Consequences

• If you are prosecuted, you may face a fine of up to £5,000 or six months in prison.
• Worse than any fine or sentence one of these calls could coincide with a genuine emergency and will cost someone their life.

Hoax calls cost the fire service millions of pounds each year, but worse than that they cost people’s lives!

Arson

Arson is the act of deliberately setting fire for malicious reasons and we are committed to reducing this in our communities.

If you notice someone doing this you must immediately ring 999 and ask for the fire service, try to get a good description of the perpetrator as this will be useful for Police investigations but never put yourself in harm’s way.

We can all help in preventing arson by removing opportunities for would be deliberate fire setters, you can help by:

• Keeping your bins locked out of the way such as in the back garden behind a locked gate
• Fit security lighting to your property to deter people
• Park your car in a well-lit area, preferably outside your property if you are able to

If you are concerned about arson in your area or a threat has been made against you then you need to report this to North Yorkshire Police and also request a visit from us as we can offer advice and put other preventative interventions in place.

Always report acts of deliberate fire setting in your community, you can do this directly to the Police by calling 999 or 101, or you can report a crime anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or by visiting their website