FOI – 2025-3163 Automatic Fire Alarm Actuations (HTML)

Date received – 05 November 2025 | Date responded – 21 November 2025

Request

Dear NHS Team,

I am doing some work around the impact of Automatic Fire Alarm Actuations (AFAs) and the impact on health care delivery. I understand that the fire service is not always alerted, as some alarms will be investigated before the call is made. Over and provided by the 11 health board areas for the period 24/25, are you able to advise of:

1. The number of AFAs where the fire service was not requested.
2. The number of these attributed to smoking or vaping

I am unsure of the size of the ask, and should it be significant I am looking specifically at Ayrshire and Arran, Greater Glasgow and Clyde areas.

Response

I refer to your freedom of information request that we received on 05 November 2025 requesting the following information.

We have now completed the search of our records and can provide you with the following information:

Under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act Scotland, 2002 (FOISA) an organisation does not have to provide that information if it does not hold it. NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) does not hold some of the information requested, this is because the National Fire Safety Management System (NFSMS) has not yet been fully populated. This is due to the territorial Health Boards (HBs) transitioning from their own in-house systems to the national system.

What we can provide you with is Appendix 1 – Automatic Fire Alarm Actuations, which highlights the information we hold for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lothian and NHS Tayside. As each health board maintains its own recording system, we would recommend contacting individual HBs directly for more comprehensive information:

• Ayrshire and Arran – foi@aapct.scot.nhs.uk
• Borders – foi.enquiries@borders.scot.nhs.uk
• Dumfries and Galloway – dg.feedback2@nhs.scot
• Fife – fife.foirequestfife@nhs.scot
• Forth Valley – fv.freedomofinformation@nhs.scot
• Grampian – gram.foi@nhs.scot
• Greater Glasgow & Clyde – foi@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
• Highland – nhsh.foirequestshighland@nhs.scot
• Lanarkshire – foi@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
• Lothian – foi@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
• Orkney – ORK.FOIrequests@nhs.scot
• Shetland – shet.foi@nhs.scot
• Tayside – tay.informationgovernance@nhs.scot
• Western Isles – wi.foi-requests@nhs.scot

I trust you will find the information of assistance and if you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of how we have dealt with your request, you can make representations to us asking us to review the handling of your request.

If you require any further information, please contact the Associate Director Governance and Board Services (Board Secretary) within 40 working days of the date of this correspondence.

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