Rockingham and Kwinana firies call to end false alarms

Rockingham and Kwinana firefighters are fed up after racing to almost 300 fake emergencies last financial year and hope a trial fine system will reduce the number of false fire alarms triggered.

According to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, firefighters attended more than 10,700 false call-outs Statewide, at a cost of more than $8 million.

A department spokesman said the region's leading false call-outs were caused by alarm faults, cooking activities and maintenance on site, all of which could result in a $750 fine in the future.

He said the fines were expected to start in the 2015-16 financial year and would be issued on the fourth and subsequent false alarm attendances.

A department spokesman said the fines aimed to encourage people to rectify faults and take steps to reduce the number of false alarms.

Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Wayne Gregson said crews had to respond to each alarm as if it were genuine and it was clear some people did not take the issue seriously enough.

"It is not uncommon for DFES crews to respond to the same premises multiple times within 24 hours," he said.

"I am concerned about the risk and exposure to my firefighters and members of the public when you have got vehicles driven unnecessarily under emergency conditions."

Emergency Services Minister Joe Francis said everyone had to take responsibility for maintaining their fire alarms in working order.

"When fire crews respond to a false alarm, there's a real risk they're being diverted away from a genuine fire in which some-body's life or property is in danger," he said.

A three-month trial of the plan is scheduled for Perth and Northam areas next year.