New figures show eight “malicious” fire alarms are set off a month at schools in Dundee and Angus.
Over 280 false alarms at schools across the two council areas have triggered an emergency response since 2018.
Each false alarm costs the fire service nearly £2,000, potentially diverting life-saving resources from those in real need.
North East MSP Maurice Golden told The Courier he is worried by the figures as he called for tougher action for those who think the behaviour is acceptable.
He said: “People who maliciously call the fire brigade are wasting precious resources and risking lives.
“It’s worrying to see such incidents have increased in Dundee and Angus in recent years.
“And it’s especially concerning that such a high proportion of these are taking place in the area’s schools.
“It is a huge source of frustration to firefighters who put their own lives on the line to keep everyone else safe.
“It’s clear we need to get tougher on those who think this kind of behaviour is acceptable, and do more work in schools to ensure a reduction happens there too.”
Area Commander Jason Sharp, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service local senior officer for Dundee, Angus, Perth and Kinross, said: “It is worth noting that part of the reason behind an increase in malicious calls between 2021 and 2022 will likely be down to school closures and reduced attendances during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We do have procedures in place to ensure our communities are always protected, but firefighters attending hoax calls can be diverted away from genuine emergencies.
“Making a malicious call to the emergency services is a criminal offence and we will work with our partners at Police Scotland to identify those responsible.
“We are proud of our educational and preventative efforts and will continue to engage with communities to try and prevent instances of malicious calls.”
In 2022 alone 61 “malicious” alarms were set off in Dundee schools, more than any other year since 2018.
Eight incidents were reported at Craigie High School.
We reported in February 2022 how pupils at the school had been threatened with criminal action over the number of false alarms set off.
A similar record was also set in Angus schools with 33 false alarms throughout the year, more than triple the number in 2019.
The majority of incidents were at Montrose Academy, with 17 recorded in 2022.
False alarms ‘put lives at risk’
A Dundee City Council spokesman said the local authority is continuing work to highlight how irresponsible malicious alarms are.
He said: “Quite simply this behaviour puts lives at risk by unnecessarily taking up the time of crews and equipment and potentially delaying them from attending a real emergency.
“We always ask for the support of families in getting the message home to their children on this hugely important issue.
“Appropriate action will be taken by schools, and we would ask anyone with information about any incident like this to get in contact.”
A record high number of incidents was also recorded at schools in Angus in 2022 with 33 false alarms throughout the year, more than triple the number in 2019.
Angus Council did not respond to requests for comment.
Conversation