THE number of hoax calls to Merseyside Fire Service is endangering lives and cost-ing more than £1.5m a year.
Figures reveal Merseyside firefighters received 1,042 hoax calls in 2006/7 and made 850 wasted journeys, figures classed as “very high” by national standards.
In Cheshire, 887 false calls were made and 125 wasted journeys carried out.
The Government estimat-es each call out costs £1,970, meaning £2m is being wasted through the two authorities.
Last night, the fire service warned hoaxers they could face criminal proceedings.
Mike Buratti, anti-social behaviour advocate for Merseyside Fire Service, said: “Malicious calls can cost lives – in a smoke-filled room people have only minutes to live and if we are delayed on a genuine call the consequences can be fatal.
“The number of hoax calls we get is huge and a lot are from mobile phones. People do not realise companies will disconnect a phone if we link it to a hoax call and we are working with police to crack down on these people.”
The service is also work-ing with schools to educate young people on the effects of hoax calls. “We had one call from a woman who said her babies were trapped in a burning property. These calls threaten the safety of the people and as a force we are working really hard to clamp down on offenders.”
Nationally, 37,833 hoax calls were made and the most wasted journeys were made by London firefighters, who were wrongly called out 3,159 times.
Les Skarratts, secretary of the Merseyside branch of the Fire Brigades Union added: “It puts lives at risk if an emergency occurs when crews are out on a hoax call. The best we can do is educate people.”
* CHESHIRE Fire Service have released a tape of a hoax caller who said people were trapped inside a burning building in Falcons Way, Runcorn at 10pm on March 17. The caller then phoned back to mock the control room staff.
Det Con Nigel Mills, the service’s police liaison officer, is urging people to listen to the male hoax caller here
