Phone warning to hoax 999 callers

People who make hoax 999 calls to the fire service have been warned they could have their phones disconnected.

Fire service bosses are concerned about the number of hoax calls. There were 369 made to Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service between April and November – mainly by children.

Watch manager Liz Tuttle said the number was falling – 420 were made from April to November in 2009 – but that it was still a serious issue.

She said: "There are so many risks associated with hoax calls. The most obvious is that it draws fire crews to places where they do not need to be.

"That means that if we have a genuine emergency we may have to send an appliance from further away, and in a 999 situation every minute is crucial."

Mrs Tuttle said that, although some calls were made by adults, most came from youngsters and that campaigns were run to try to educate children.

She said: "We go into schools and tell them exactly how dangerous making hoax calls is.

"The message is getting through but one of the biggest levers for children is the threat of losing their mobile phones.

"If we get a hoax call we tag the number and then, if we get another, we can get the line disconnected.

"You can often spot a hoax call from a child because there will be laughter in the background.

"Our call handlers often challenge them to ask them if they are telling the truth. Of course, if there is any doubt, we would treat a call as an emergency."

She said the kinds of calls received ranged from made-up reports of fires at homes, to people who had fallen out with the owners, to claims that lorries had spilled hazardous chemicals on to motorways.

She said: "The calls can be quite elaborate and at the end of it you find yourself asking the question, 'Why do this?'

"Other risks of hoax calls include collisions between motorists and fire engines rushing to a location needlessly.

"Between April and November, 33 collisions involving fire service vehicles were reported as well as 38 near misses."

Fire authority member David Snartt, who is also the chairman of Charnwood Community Safety Partnership, said: "Lives are put at risk and the people who do this often don't understand that."

Repeat offenders face prosecution and a potential �5,000 fine and six months in prison or both.

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