Fire crews will not automatically attend alarms at business premises in Elmbridge in a bid to reduce the number of false alarms.
Figures released by Surrey Fire and Rescue showed only one in every 200 fire alarm call-outs in Surrey was put out by firefighters.
A spokesman for the service said that "intelligent attendance" was needed to ensure there was a fire, such as two devices being activated or similar checks.
The move is designed to prevent the waste of time and manpower attending false alarms, that could be spent at road crashes or on fire prevention education.
According to Surrey Fire and Rescue, the problem stems from faulty, poorly maintained or badly designed alarms.
But it added that if there were any doubt surrounding the legitimacy of a fire, they would respond in the normal way.
Are firefighters right to wait for confirmation? Will businesses be at risk? Should businesses pay for false alarms? Have your say below
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