On Tuesday, September 8, after 12:00 p.m., we received from a Reader a photograph showing the services in action on Karola Miarki Street in Bolesławiec. (The photograph shows two fire service units).
As we managed to establish, the intervention was prompted by a carbon monoxide detector being activated.
Fortunately, no danger was found. The alarm was triggered by a weak battery in the detector.
The incident was classified as a false alarm. Fortunately, nobody was hurt.
False alarms are not uncommon
Similar situations occur in Bolesławiec and Bolesławiec County. In March last year, during a session of the Bolesławiec City Council, district commander of the State Fire Service, Senior Brigadier Andrzej Śliwowski spoke about the large number of false alarms recorded by firefighters.
The commander explained at the time that such reports can be divided into three categories. The first consists of malicious alarms, meaning deliberately misleading the services. The second comprises alarms connected with detection systems, while the third consists of reports made in good faith.
The first category is the least common. As Andrzej Śliwowski noted, cases of deliberately misleading firefighters occur sporadically. However, if the services are certain that someone did so intentionally, the matter may be referred to the police.
Much more often, an alarm turns out to have been caused by a device being triggered or by the reaction of someone who had reason to believe that a real danger existed. The commander gave the example of deodorant used near a detector, which can cause it to activate. It also happens that residents respond to a device's signal indicating that its battery needs to be replaced.
Detectors may also be activated unintentionally during renovations. Dust or debris can trigger systems designed to detect danger. The problem affects, among others, hotels, shopping centres and industrial plants.
The commander also pointed to the growing number of devices that can automatically notify the services. During the March session, he mentioned cases in which a mobile phone, after falling or being struck hard, automatically sent information about a possible accident. Firefighters arrived at the scene even though the phone's owner did not need any assistance.