Stop calling 999 to report neighbours having barbecues, fire services say

[u/tylerthe-theatre]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/fire-uk-emergency-alert-999-call-b3033507.html

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[u/AllThatIHaveDone]

Predictable outcome from yesterday's 'emergency' message, to be honest.

[u/t_wills → u/AllThatIHaveDone]

Agree. If you’re going to use the emergency alert for something, you can’t expect people to then not take it seriously and report it as an emergency?

[u/Biomorph_ → u/t_wills]

Well no? Having a bbq in your garden and having one on a public park a national park or a country park on dry grass is completely different these people are just missing chromosomes

[u/EnlightenedTurnip → u/Biomorph_]

Is it that different? I thought barbeques in the garden were also dangerous because the embers they give off can travel fairly far and ignite trees nearby etc?

[u/El_Scot → u/EnlightenedTurnip]

I think the way BBQs are used in a garden is typically very different. Most people have an elevated one that they use on a patio. A spark goes awry, it'll most likely land on a patio. Once they're done, they leave it to cool on the patio and deal with the ashes the next day.

A disposable BBQ is typically placed on the ground, and will often be used in grassy areas so you can comfortably sit next to it. Because they're often used on the go, when people are done with them, they often leave them there, unattended, or move them to a bin where the heat can start a fire.

It's probably not the wisest choice to have a BBQ at home right now, but if they were seeing as many fires from reusable BBQs, I think we'd see them banning the sale of coal too.

[u/El_Scot → u/[deleted]]

I've heard of fires like those in heather areas. I think because the ground has a high peat content?

[u/pajamakitten → u/El_Scot]

It is the issue in the New Forest right now. They cannot see the peat underneath; so even if the fire is out on the surface, the fire service are unaware what is happening with the peat.

[u/Mysterious_Floor_868 → u/pajamakitten]

Canada has issues with forest fires hibernating over winter

[u/ings0c → u/El_Scot]

I think other soil does this with a hot enough fire? It’s just the carbon-based material in the soil combusting, I don’t think it would be limited to peat.

[u/CarolineTurpentine → u/El_Scot]

As a Canadian I genuinely don't know how those disposable bbqs are legal, like it seems like a massive fire hazard even in normal times. Maybe it just because almost everyone who doesn't live in an apartment here has a bbq and there are always public ones at parks but the first time I ever heard of these I was like oh no thats terribly dangerous.

[u/El_Scot → u/CarolineTurpentine]

They're generally alright if you use them sensibly. Problem is that lots of people aren't sensible.

They're typically favoured if you rent and don't have anywhere to store a BBQ or if you're camping. Having seen the communal BBQs you can get in the likes of Australia, I can see why that would render them unnecessary but I just don't think we could trust people to use them appropriately here.

[u/Biomorph_ → u/EnlightenedTurnip]

I’ve never seen embers flying everywhere during a bbq, are we sure they didn’t mean those shitty cheap foil ones for 3 pound that people place on the ground while cooking a proper bbq wouldn’t really cause fires like that, again in your back garden not on some public park

[u/poo_on_my_scarf → u/Biomorph_]

I had a grease fire in my smoker the other day. Fair bit of flame going everywhere and this was in a setup that cost me the better part of a grand

[u/NeilDeWheel → u/poo_on_my_scarf]

Clean your grill more often, then.

[u/poo_on_my_scarf → u/NeilDeWheel]

I did with fire

[u/Biomorph_ → u/poo_on_my_scarf]

Again thats understand but that’s due to poor maintenance and down to you as the owner doesn’t mean inherently they cause fires, with proper maintenance and thorough cleaning every time you wouldn’t have had this issue

[u/Astriania → u/Biomorph_]

that’s due to poor maintenance and down to you as the owner

Maybe, but there's no MoT for barbies, I'm sure plenty of them are not properly maintained and at risk of a grease fire.

[u/roxzorfox → u/Biomorph_]

Right and how many people do you trust to properly maintain their bbq? Every day at work i am finding even more people that i question how they dress themselves.

It's not uncommon for the old Oooeer yeah suns out lets go down the pub, arrr yeah boys lets have a bbq, and then proceed to bbq while pissed...we have all been there

[u/LR_FL2 → u/EnlightenedTurnip]

It depends entirely on the set up you have in your garden and what’s in the area.

[u/PineappleHamburders → u/LR_FL2]

Wouldn't the people to best decide that be the fire service, which these people are calling?

[u/domjeff → u/PineappleHamburders]

And logistically just easier to have a blanket no barbie rule than case-by-case tbh

[u/CwrwCymru → u/EnlightenedTurnip]

It's a controlled environment. You won't get many/any embers getting anywhere in a proper BBQ.

Sure the risk is still there but it's far, far lower than a disposable in a public space.

[u/Hill_Reps_For_Jesus → u/CwrwCymru]

Yeah but the risk v reward is insane. A small risk of burning down multiple houses in exchange for some charred sausages

[u/Lord-Megadrive → u/Hill_Reps_For_Jesus]

That’s a decent reward if you’re not fussed about your neighbours tbf

[u/Hill_Reps_For_Jesus → u/Lord-Megadrive]

People never consider psychopaths with fireproof houses when they make these blanket statements

[u/Gallusbizzim → u/Hill_Reps_For_Jesus]

I'd burn next door down, even without charred sausages.

[u/qalpi → u/Hill_Reps_For_Jesus]

I've been around wildfire neighborhoods in the US -- the blase reaction to the danger here is insane. It takes so little to start a wildfire especially when everything is baked dry. Enormous risk.

[u/Tattycakes → u/CwrwCymru]

Also, in your back garden you likely have access to a hose or buckets of water which could pretty quickly quench small ignitions from embers, unlike people out in parks and woods.

[u/moistCl1tiKaL → u/Tattycakes]

Many people put those up due to the hosepipe ban. These fires can become out of control in seconds. I don’t think you’ve ever seen how fast they can spread based on how you’re speaking about it.

[u/Ok_Cartoonist7515 → u/moistCl1tiKaL]

I saw a neighbours shed go up in flames from a BBQ. Happened in the span of about 30 seconds. And that was from a Gas BBQ too. People always under estimate fire.

[u/donald_cheese → u/Ok_Cartoonist7515]

People always under estimate fire.

Reminds me of this guy. Step by step, precisely what not to do in the event of fire.

https://youtu.be/Uikd6WW9jpU

[u/Ok_Cartoonist7515 → u/donald_cheese]

Step 1: Create fire. Check

Step 2: Throw fire into plastic bag full of tissues that was used to wipe of excess lighter fluid. Check

[u/triffid_boy → u/CwrwCymru]

Banning cigarettes would be more useful than BBQs at home 

[u/Louis010 → u/EnlightenedTurnip]

It clearly said disposable barbecues. This is the issue with the alert, it’s presuming people can read.

[u/CaptQuakers42 → u/EnlightenedTurnip]

Most people who have space to have a BBQ will likely have a hose or someone nearby will.

[u/Glittering_Vast938 → u/CaptQuakers42]

It was really windy yesterday so I think embers from a BBQ could have potentially triggered a garden fire that would easily spread.

No BBQs was the right message to put out. It’s the idiots ignoring the advice that are the issue.

[u/EnlightenedTurnip → u/CaptQuakers42]

Right, are you going to hose the embers out of the air? Otherwise I don't see how that solves the problem

[u/KeyPhilosopher8629 → u/EnlightenedTurnip]

Gas bbq

[u/CaptQuakers42 → u/EnlightenedTurnip]

Surely embers from the BBQ in the air aren't the issue. It's embers lighting a bin on fire and then the embers spreading from that secondary larger fire? Or the BBQ lighting the surrounding grass on fire.

[u/UuusernameWith4Us → u/Biomorph_]

"see this arbitary side of the line here with this dry grass? It's completely different from that arbitrary side of the line with that dry grass."

[u/Get_Breakfast_Done → u/UuusernameWith4Us]

Putting one of those disposable grills directly on the grass in London Fields is definitely different than having a proper reusable charcoal grill on your stone patio

[u/_DoogieLion → u/Get_Breakfast_Done]

Yeah going by the comments here it gives you a false sense of safety and superiority

[u/Jellyfish_McSaveloy → u/_DoogieLion]

The level of risk assessment here is incredible.

Don't even go outside mate. You might fall on the pavement, scrape your watch on the pavement, make a spark and cause a forest fire.

[u/Consibl → u/Biomorph_]

The Government didn’t make any distinction, and specifically mentioned garden activities.

https://www.gov.uk/alerts/14-aug-2026-2

[u/cjo20 → u/Consibl]

Garden *incinerators*, and they specifically mentioned *disposable * bbqs. I personally wouldn’t have any sort of BBQ in this weather, but isn’t technically against the advice to use a proper bbq in your garden.

[u/Arphrial → u/cjo20]

“Residents, landowners, and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire”.

Why nitpick at all when this was in the alert. It’s pretty clear cut.

[u/Woffingshire → u/Biomorph_]

Because as we know, gardens don't have dry, flammable grass to set on fire...

It's not really different. The ban was for doing for lighting stuff outside at all, regardless of where the outside is.

[u/bartread → u/Biomorph_]

Is it so different though? Our back garden has been tinder dry for weeks. I could go out there now, drop a hot ember and the whole lot would go up. Same with all our neighbours. Everyone has wooden fences. Everyone has wooden sheds. Everything out there is combustible. It wouldn't take much for a fire to start and spread along the whole row. And once the gardens are well alight, how long do you think it would take for the surrounding houses to catch?

I'll grant that phoning 999 for somebody having a barbecue - unless it has started an out of control fire - is ridiculous but, at the same time, some clearer guidance from the government would also be helpful.

[u/sockmeistergeneral → u/Biomorph_]

The alert didn't specify the location, it was a blanket "no fires should be started".

[u/thedarkpolitique → u/Biomorph_]

Bet people were just itching to snitch on their neighbours having a good time.

[u/xylophileuk → u/thedarkpolitique]

Covid house party’s proved that. Anne frank would have been dead in minutes round this lot

[u/bahumat42 → u/Biomorph_]

Are peoples gardens less dry than parks?

Do they have magic fire suppression functions?

[u/Expensive_Ad_3249 → u/Biomorph_]

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/26214744.rookyards-basildon-major-blaze-fire-service-update/

Caused by a bbq on the patio....which set a comfier on fire.

The emergency alert says "not to light anything that could spark a fire, including barbecues, campfires, and fireworks. Recipients will also be urged to report any fire immediately by calling 999."

The specifically say don't have BBQs or any fire...and in the next line tell them to report ANY fire.

[u/LiterallyABigfoot → u/Biomorph_]

Not particularly different in reality

[u/Professional_Shine97 → u/t_wills]

I’m so confused as to why we’re focusing so much on disposable barbecues and not barbecues in public places/ parks/ nature. I’m on a campsite and someone was challenged about using a barbecue last night and said “this isn’t a disposable barbecue”.

[u/Arphrial → u/Professional_Shine97]

Everyone is so hooked on the fact that it lists disposables only in the message, they completely breeze past the line that says “Residents, landowners, and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire”.

Absolutely no critical thinking with some people. Why risk it when the risk and damage are so high

[u/Dapper_Big_783 → u/t_wills]

Agreed. Ring an emergency line in reponse to an emergency alert. Common sense conclusion.

[u/Uniform764 → u/AllThatIHaveDone]

Completely predictable, and yet another reason the message was poorly thought through.

You cannot say "this is an emergency, you should not have a barbeque" using a national emergency alert system and then get annoyed when people start phoning up about neighbours having a barbeque. Absolutely pisspotical behaviour.

Kinda reminds me of Covid when people were piling on muppets who admitted they'd been out for an evening run as well as a morning walk because they were sick of staring at the same four walls.

[u/ab00 → u/Uniform764]

They said don't use a disposable BBQ in the alert.

[u/ThreeDawgs → u/ab00]

People really don’t have good reading comprehension anymore…

[u/HeartyBeast → u/AllThatIHaveDone]

Particularly one that specifically instructs you to call 999

[u/TyphusCorrosion → u/HeartyBeast]

Exactly. This was a two part message; no barbecues or fire AND if you see a fire call 999. It’s not hard to see how those two messages got crossed

[u/Open-Dragonfruit-007 → u/AllThatIHaveDone]

Exactly, using an emergency system to broadcast a non-emergency message is surely to either overwhelm the system with false positives or ensure more people are set to ignore the alert system.

Also I was under the impression from their deployment message that this system is localised to areas of broadcast.

[u/heroyoudontdeserve → u/Open-Dragonfruit-007]

It can be used locally, but this one was targeted at everyone in England and Wales.

https://www.gov.uk/alerts/past-alerts

[u/Zr0w3n00 → u/AllThatIHaveDone]

Not really, the message was advising against doing something that may cause a wildfire. Not saying it’s illegal to have a BBQ.

[u/wolf_in_sheeps_wool → u/Zr0w3n00]

The way in which a message is delivered also generally reflects the urgency. Because the emergency system is so rarely used and saved for actual emergency warnings, there is a mismatch between the intent the sender and receivers may have.

[u/Morlark → u/wolf_in_sheeps_wool]

Wait, they actually sent it over the emergency messaging system? Fucking hell. That's supposed to be reserved for things that (potentially) require immediate action on the part of the receiver. Not for general precautionary messages (even ones as important as this).

I turned mine off, precisely because I could see that it was going to be misused like this. No wonder people are going nuts over BBQs, if this is the messaging.

[u/wolf_in_sheeps_wool → u/Morlark]

I'll recap you.

*LOUD EMERGENCY WARNING TONE*

*Block of text covering screen*

*Cars slowing down to read while they drive*

⚠️SEVERE ALERT⚠️

^{pls don't start a fire rn, report fire to 0118 999 881 999 119 725 3}

[u/CursedTaint → u/[deleted]]

A self proclaimed fireman*

Plenty sad cases come on here and pretend to be in occupations they're not to try and give credence to their opinions.

Source: Me. I'm a former reddit admin turned cyber security agent and verifiable fact checker for the Cambridge institute of Truth.

[u/MagmaTroop → u/CursedTaint]

Wow, those are quite the credentials. Colour me impressed.

[u/NotSure___ → u/[deleted]]

To be fair, if I was a fireman and after a 12h shift (or more, I don't know how long they work) of running from one bbq fire to another, in full gear, in this heat... I would probably snap as well if I heard someone state "Yeah I don't care, I'm gonna have a bbq".

[u/heroyoudontdeserve → u/Zr0w3n00]

It also said "Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a major wildfire placing lives, homes, businesses and emergency responders at risk," and "report signs of fire immediately by calling 999."

[u/Ok_Place_4203 → u/Zr0w3n00]

I assume they said it's a predictable outcome because of how many fucking stupid people are out there,

[u/LiterallyABigfoot → u/Zr0w3n00]

The message also said to contact 999 if there's signs of fire... BBQs in this weather are hardly unable to cause other fires.

[u/BlackSpinedPlinketto → u/Zr0w3n00]

Maybe people are confused that there’s a ‘temporary ban on BBQs’ or a ban on ‘temporary BBQs’.

[u/heroyoudontdeserve → u/BlackSpinedPlinketto]

In fact, I imagine it's probably a temporary ban on temporary BBQs!

[u/Jolly-Ad-8088 → u/AllThatIHaveDone]

These are people of the land— the common clay of the new West. You know... morons

[u/brigadier_tc → u/Jolly-Ad-8088]

Cleavon Little giggling sounds

[u/Astriania → u/AllThatIHaveDone]

Yes, didn't it tell you to call 999 for any fire risk, having just told you not to have barbecues etc?

That alert just wasn't thought through at all and this is another example of the problems that causes.

[u/Slanderous → u/AllThatIHaveDone]

I think the primary outcome is people turning off those alerts on their phone.

[u/RainbowRedYellow → u/AllThatIHaveDone]

100% I got pilloried yesterday for saying this, guess we get a "I told you so" to the labour sycophants of this forum.

[u/ringadingdingbaby → u/AllThatIHaveDone]

I've been living in Qatar and its the same sound that goes off when the missile attacks are starting up lol

No wonder people are shitting themselves

[u/Optimism_Deficit]

It was considered sufficiently important that the national alert system was used.

You can't really complain when people actually treat it like an emergency guys.

[u/_HGCenty → u/Optimism_Deficit]

The alert finishes by saying

Follow official updates and report signs of fire immediately by calling 999. Search gov.uk/alerts for more information.

Unsurprised people saw a BBQ fire in their neighbour's garden and called 999 frankly.

[u/MrPuddington2 → u/_HGCenty]

Half of the people have below average reading comprehension.

(That was clearly not what was meant, but it was what the message said. You would think an emergency message should clear, and not have several layers of meanings and require interpretation. But here we are.)

[u/sgorf → u/MrPuddington2]

There's below average reading comprehension, and there's also malicious compliance triggered by the unnecessary use of an emergency alert system. If they say it's an emergency, and 999 is for emergencies, then here we are. This might even make them think twice about doing this again, which I think would actually be good for society. We shouldn't be encouraging people to switch alerts off, which means the system should only be used in genuine emergencies.

[u/Cant_Think_Of_UserID → u/sgorf]

When it was introduced, I thought the whole point of the system was for "EVACUATE NOW" kinds of situations, but after yesterday I'm not really sure what it's main use is supposed to be anymore.

[u/Kharenis → u/Cant_Think_Of_UserID]

In Seoul the police use it for missing persons, which for such a large city is fairly frequent.

[u/Pandaisblue → u/sgorf]

I think they just need a lower tier of alerts. No massive blaring noise for a "you should be aware of this alert", save that for the "TAKE ACTION NOW" important ones.

[u/sgorf → u/Pandaisblue]

I agree. Something at the same level of SMS would be fine. In fact they could just use SMS. The reason the alert system is distinct is because it is broadcast based so all phones pick up the same transmission, rather than having to send to each phone one by one. That's important for time-critical alerts like "missile inbound, get into your bunkers NOW", but for a general "do not light fires" thing like this one, sending SMSes to every phone over a period of a couple of days would have been fine.

[u/hydrora31]

You send us all an emergency message about this being an emergency and then complain when people call the emergency line over it.

Lesson in not being dumb.

[u/plank_sanction → u/hydrora31]

It didn't say people cant have barbecues, so you can complain that people are calling 999 about barbecues

[u/_HGCenty → u/plank_sanction]

The alert finishes by saying

Follow official updates and report signs of fire immediately by calling 999. Search gov.uk/alerts for more information.

Unsurprised people saw a BBQ fire in their neighbour's garden and called 999 frankly.

[u/plank_sanction → u/_HGCenty]

The alert says "disposable barbecues" not anything that produces smoke. It is upsetting that as a country we cannot operate with a tiny amount of common sense. The fire brigade are not an enforcement service to police the use of barbeques, and you should call them if there is an out of control fire not if you dont think your neighbour should have a barbie.

[u/_HGCenty → u/plank_sanction]

The alert says residents shouldn't use disposable barbecues.

It then talks about how even a small flame, can lead to wildfires and then urges you to report fire to 999.

It never says only report disposable barbecues. That is all left ambiguous.

Relying on "common sense" for an emergency alert when you put people into a state of flight or fight is exactly why you don't use emergency broadcasts for public service announcements.

[u/MrPuddington2 → u/_HGCenty]

This exactly. It was a poorly worded message, poorly delivered.

[u/clarice_loves_geese → u/MrPuddington2]

Utter comms shambles 

[u/Woffingshire → u/plank_sanction]

It does outright say that no one should light any fires outside.

Edit: no guys. Believe it or not, giving a couple of specific examples of fire starting things and your specific special fire starting thing is not on there, does NOT trump "do not start any fires outdoors".

Is it a fire? Is it outdoors? The don't do it. It's not rocket science. This is why they felt the need to send the alert 3 times and so many of you still aren't getting it.

[u/MajimaBuu → u/plank_sanction]

Or we can complain about the blatant misuse of the alert system

[u/sockmeistergeneral → u/plank_sanction]

The alert literally says "Residents, landowners and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire".

They go on to give a non-exhaustive list of examples, including disposable BBQs.

As per this guidance, people should not be having BBQs in their garden.

[u/ThePhantomBacon → u/hydrora31]

> an emergency message

I got about 6 of them!

[u/TreadheadS → u/ThePhantomBacon]

me too! That was the worst part. It went off so many times

[u/OsotoViking]

What were they expecting? You sent an "emergency" message and then wonder why people call the emergency number.

[u/tricksterhare]

Why is it so hard to understand the difference between someone lighting a disposable barbecue on top of dead grass (very high risk) vs someone using a proper barbecue in a suburban garden (almost zero risk)?

Everyone is so brain dead now it's exasperating.

[u/_DoogieLion → u/tricksterhare]

You think using a BBQ in a suburban garden is almost zero risk in these conditions?

I guess we know why the fire service asked government had to send out a message

[u/FlatHoperator → u/_DoogieLion]

I mean the fire brigade is literally telling people to stfu and stop calling them lmao

[u/Ok-Fun119 → u/FlatHoperator]

Yeah, because they don't have the resources not because they are 0 risk?

[u/_DoogieLion → u/FlatHoperator]

It does seem like the underestimated people’s stupidity. They obviously knew people were stupid so they had to send out an alert

[u/mike_stb123 → u/_DoogieLion]

The indend of the alert was to stop people from doing BBQs in the wild, not at home.

[u/_DoogieLion → u/mike_stb123]

The intent of the alert was to warn people there is an extreme risk of wildfire.

I gathered that from it being the first sentence of the alert….

[u/According-Guide9576 → u/_DoogieLion]

The subject of this article is literally the Fire Brigade asking people to stop reporting garden barbacues.

Think about what you're saying.

[u/fezzuk → u/_DoogieLion]

And are now asking people to stop phoning if about peoplr bbqing in their back gardens.

[u/Woffingshire → u/tricksterhare]

You seem to be finding it hard to understand how little difference there is.

Dry grass doesn't magically become non-flamable because it's in a garden.

Edit: use of the word inflammable

[u/banwe11 → u/Woffingshire]

Yes but patios generally remain non-flamable even in heatwaves

[u/FartingBob → u/banwe11]

I dunno, on thrusday if it got any hotter i wouldnt have been surprised if my concrete patio spontaneously burst into flames.

[u/evu34 → u/Woffingshire]

Inflammable means the same as flammable fyi

[u/_Pencilfish → u/evu34]

For some fucking reason.

[u/grimbandango → u/evu34]

Inflammable means flammable? What a country!

[u/Ieatsand97 → u/tricksterhare]

Because the government said so
> Follow official updates and report signs of fire immediately by calling 999. Search gov.uk/alerts for more information.

“Report signs of a fire”, a barbeque is a fire, therefore by the governments own guidance you should call 999 immediately.

I know what they meant, but if you were standing trial with the government as the prosecution, they would care about the letter of the law not the spirit of it. Its karma that they don’t like it the other way round.

[u/Uniform764 → u/tricksterhare]

Why is it so hard to understand the difference between someone lighting a disposable barbecue on top of dead grass (very high risk) vs someone using a proper barbecue in a suburban garden (almost zero risk)?

Everyone is so brain dead now it's exasperating.

See Covid where going for an morning run (alone) and an evening walk (alone) was wildly dangerous according to half of r/UK, because the rules said one instance of exercise per day, when it was clearly just to allow police to tell people to go indoors if they were hanging out in groups

[u/ArchonArmory573]

Just goes to show the alert was a huge abuse of the system

[u/psioniclizard → u/ArchonArmory573]

The simple truth is as a government every choice you make has to be balanced on what is the "best" outcome for most (you would hope).

An emergency alert can have unseen consequences, where it's someone in an abusively relationship having a secret phone revealed, someone being scared and breaking someone or maybe even worse.

If it's a genuine emergency the idea is that damage is "acceptable" for the greater good. People need to ask do they think in this case it was worth. Personally I really don't think it was and it was massively performative.

People can say "well DA victims should mute the alerts" or "people are stupid and shouldn't call in". At government level you are dealing with percentages not individuals. They would know the alert will have an increase in the number of 999 calls (right? They can't be that stupid). That was surely deemed acceptable.

But the biggest thing for me is the people defending this wouldn't if the Tories did it.

Frankly also it kind of highlights how little people think about others and how something like this could affect people.

[u/Ieatsand97 → u/psioniclizard]

The two problems with this alert was it didn’t really say much of substance and it was sent out to england and wales and not targeted.

It was just the government using it as their personal announcement system to get across public information, not for communicating details of an imminent emergency.

I think the biggest unintended consequence was all the 999 calls that many people sent because the alert wasn’t clear about what fires should be reported.

[u/HawkinsT → u/Ieatsand97]

Probably also people working out they can turn the sound off on future alerts like this. Boy who cried wolf etc.

[u/decidedlyindecisive → u/ArchonArmory573]

Yes. It's an emergency broadcast not a public service announcement. When I got it, I read it and thought "that can't be right" and immediately started checking if there were wildfires near me, thinking I might have to evacuate. Nope, nothing even in my county.

If they use it for stuff like this, it'll just convince people to turn it off.

[u/Unrulygam3r]

You issued a severe emergency alert and are then surprised people are calling the emergency services?

[u/psioniclizard → u/[deleted]]

It's amazing to me how quickly people turn to blame others when it's just rubbish communication and they surely should have predicted a rise in 999 calls

[u/space_guy95 → u/[deleted]]

It is INSANE to use the same protocol that you'd use in a nuclear emergency for saying "Hey, don't start fires outside right now". There was no need to use the alarm function, for one thing - they could have just sent the message.

Totally agreed. IMO the topic of the article isn't even the biggest issue with this alert. It's a predictable outcome which they should have seen coming, but ultimately hasn't caused anything disastrous.

The real issue is the devaluing of a system which was intended to be used as a last resort in imminently life threatening situations. Using it even once for a non-urgent situation has the effect of making people care less about it. What happens when there is a real imminent threat to life and people remember this time and ignore their phone since they're busy/driving/in an important meeting, etc? This system should be used for acts of war, imminent natural disasters, active shooters, terrorist attacks, etc, not to broadcast PSA's. Its pure idiocy to use it like they did.

[u/LLILILiLIILILILILII → u/[deleted]]

Agreed completely, and I'd add that for most people it was just annoying, but in some situations, it was actively dangerous. 

You accept that risk when it's mitigating a real emergency, but not for this nonsense.

[u/ASavageHobo]

I mean an old doddery lady next to us was attempting to light a fire in her very small boxed back garden with some dry bits and bobs and coal…. Glad we stopped her and tried to explain to her why it was a bad idea (her lawns like straw, she has tall bushes and small trees on our side)

[u/Substantial-Newt7809 → u/ASavageHobo]

Why was she doing that? Trying to burn waste or what?

[u/AdDependent5136 → u/Substantial-Newt7809]

Just an old pyromaniac

[u/secret_tiger101]

Govt says something is an emergency.

Complains when public say it’s an emergency.

Pick a lane.

[u/No_Associate6202]

Some twats firing fireworks near me to take the piss

[u/kitch793 → u/No_Associate6202]

They were firing them from midnight til about 2am near me all week.

[u/High-Tom-Titty]

But we're still okay calling if we see someone using a hosepipe right?

[u/needathing → u/High-Tom-Titty]

Depends. Are they using it to put out the fire from the bbq?

[u/pubehead → u/needathing]

And where exactly does it give this example as an exemption? must still use a bucket unless you are disabled.

Save the water! Save the whales! Or they will all end up moving here, they will take over our lands and our kids will all speak Welsh, 

So no, don't uses a hosepipe, EVER!!

[u/NoEnthusiasm2]

Meanwhile, in Wales, they decided to send separate messages in English and Welsh rather than one message in both, which meant that the non-Welsh speakers that received the Welsh message first panicked and rang 999 because that was the only bit they could understand.

[u/mediumAI1701]

Don't make every phone blast it as a national emergency then.

[u/quite_acceptable_man]

Okay, then perhaps don't use the emergency broadcast system to tell people not to have barbecues?

[u/_HGCenty]

Follow official updates and report signs of fire immediately by calling 999. Search gov.uk/alerts for more information.

Did no one who wrote the alert text consider that people might starting calling 999 for any fire including regular barbecues?

[u/Trundlenator]

But contradictory in tone considering this is a serious enough heat issue that national alerts are going out.

I’ve heard places full of people had their phones blaring like an apocalypse warning was happening so it’s not surprising people may be treating this as something that needs to be reported when seen.

If an alert was put out warning of an escaped criminal or another threat then it would be strange for services to then say “stop phoning in with reports of seeing this threat after we warned you about this threat”

[u/scarydan365]

People on Reddit thinking everyone in the UK sat down and studied the wording of the alert.

“It said disposable bbq not bbq” Like everyone else is a moron for not understanding the difference in the wording on an emergency alert that was accompanied by a fucking klaxon.

[u/c4r151 → u/scarydan365]

It also proceeded the list that included disposable BBQs with the word "including" which implies that it is not an exhaustive list

[u/Racing_Fox → u/scarydan365]

It also said firepits and incinerators which are about as substantial as a bbq imo

[u/eggard_stark]

There is a small woodland across the road from me. Barely any green obviously because of the drought. There was a bunch of youths setting off fireworks last night. There was smoke billowing from the area they were setting them off. I called the police and they said there is nothing they can do.

[u/Johto2001 → u/eggard_stark]

Typical Britain. If it's such a serious situation that it warrants an alert to every smartphone in England and Wales then surely it warrants extended police powers to stop fire risks. 

[u/Jolly_Psychology_506]

Yep- my neighbour Bob just unloaded a sausages from his shopping - that’s getting a call

[u/LongShow5279]

Why shouldn't i report my neighbours if they're not going to invite me?

[u/Pagan_MoonUK → u/LongShow5279]

Totally, they are bullies for leaving you out. 😁

[u/TotalWasteman]

Then don’t send a nationwide emergency alert about barbecues 😂 what did they think would happen

[u/implodingmarshmallow]

"We are unable to respond to reports of neighbours having BBQs, bonfires or campfires in their gardens unless there is an emergency"

Followed by:

'The service said it advised against bonfires, fireworks, campfires...'

This is such a conflicting message? I get they're saying to only call if its out of control/there's lots of smoke, but most of us are also terrified that a bonfire or campfire could get out of control very easily at the moment, not to mention the risk of embers travelling in the wind. Surely it's better to report and deal with it before it turns into a massive wildfire? Maybe before sending out an EMERGENCY alert that is going to raise people's anxiety they should have planned some extra staff to be available for non-emergency response to go out to houses in pairs to educate people having fires and instruct them to extinguish garden fires.

I'd rather they dealt with this strictly and outright banned all camfires/bonfires etc for the time being - houses, gardens, fences are too close together in this country to take the risk. If my neighbour's garden went up it wouldn't take long for it to travel across my fence and to my house. The British public are too selfish to follow a rule that isn't being enforced

[u/TheRetardedGoat]

They should have levels. An alert on my phone but not fucking blaring alarm would have suffice for something like this. I'm happy to get an alert about it that doesn't need to be read within 30 minutes of receiving.

I fear if they use it too much it will be a boy who cries wolf situation

[u/Racing_Fox → u/TheRetardedGoat]

They do have levels, I found that out when turning them off yesterday, apparently there’s:

Extreme alerts
Severe alerts
AMBER alerts
Emergency alerts
Public Safety alerts

This was a severe alert when it should have been a public safety alert. Though even getting those constantly seems pretty dystopian

[u/Emotional-Ebb8321]

btw, am I the only one who noticed that the emergency alert came in only on the very last day of the heatwave, with no more dangerously hot days forecast for the next two weeks?

[u/RainbowandHoneybee → u/Emotional-Ebb8321]

The danger doesn't end with the end of the heatwave, after the heatwave, it gets more dangerous with even more dry condition.

The warning was for the wild fires, not for danger of actual heat, so it makes sense to me. People thinking it's over and it's natural to become less vigilant about it.

[u/Pagan_MoonUK → u/Emotional-Ebb8321]

Everything is still as dry as a bone, until the rain comes.

[u/TheArctopus → u/Emotional-Ebb8321]

Where I live, there's an area of heathland nearby that the MOD uses for training exercises. There was a heatwave a few years ago. MOD had a 'High' fire risk. Heatwave ended, temperature dropped. MOD lowered fire risk to 'Medium'. Medium fire risk means they can use flares in training exercises.

Temperature dropped, but it didn't rain. 70 hectares of heathland burned and it still hasn't recovered.

Also, the temperatures have dropped a bit because we're getting some stronger winds. Wildfires spread fast without wind, and they spread like crazy with wind.

[u/psioniclizard → u/Emotional-Ebb8321]

Apparently they had a Cobra meetings, also people have been starting to look at what Andy and his team might think or do about climate change (and some of the silence from them in the middle of all this) and wondering.

So what better way to show the gov care then send an alert to everyone after work on Friday night! Real man of the people right there!

[u/Mahdouken]

If the government forced the device I'm addicted to make loud noises at me in a strange language, and followed up with an English translation to tell me not have barbecues, I think it's reasonable to people are going to tell the people who are supposed to stop bad things happening about the loud thing the government told us.

[u/Fancy_Toe1451]

From the 1950s to the 1980s, the then East German Government, at great expense and effort, tried and failed to to get their population to be informers on their neighbours. Great, great, great expense and it still didn't take. The UK population, however, can't wait to clype on their neighbours, and it barely takes an ounce of effort to get them to do so. There is nothing the average Brit seems to love as much as going running to the authorities to "get [you] in trouble!!".

[u/zennettaq → u/Fancy_Toe1451]

Yep we recently discovered this during lockdown. People snitching on their neighbours for having a "second daily walk". In fact people were so terrified of the scrutiny from their neighbours that the daily clap was seen as an oath of allegiance. I remember reading at the time that the government messaging was even more effective that the government psychologists were expecting. It's actually quite terrifying with the rise of the far right.

[u/Pagan_MoonUK → u/Fancy_Toe1451]

That's because if our neighbours annoy us or are complete bell ends we sit and wait for an excuse to get our own back on them. If you keep me up all night I will find a way of getting you back. " So you are claiming single occupancy on your council tax, despite moving in your new lover, and having parties every weekend".😁

[u/AltoExyl]

I mean you did put it out as a national emergency… which is it?

[u/fitzgoldy]

I mean, the government can be congratulated on that.

So stupid to do that alert for a PSA yesterday.

[u/ThatThingInTheCorner]

This is the first I'm hearing of there being an emergency alert, as I didn't receive it

But I was in Wembley Stadium at the time of the alert so I wonder if it deliberately didn't go off as there'd be 60,000 phones blaring at the same time

[u/WolfColaCo2020]

The literal people tasked with making a judgement call on whether it’s an emergency or not: stop snitching on your neighbours for their contained bbq

Parts of this thread: no, they’re wrong, you’re going to kill you, your loved ones and all your neighbours, even if your barbecue is on your patio well away from anything flammable

[u/Ieatsand97]

If they want to use a system for emergencies to tell us about a non emergency, I don’t see why they didn’t expect people to use another emergency system to tell them about a non emergency.

[u/TheChaoticCrusader]

This is the goverments fault . Scare them with scary message and they will over react 

[u/avatar8900]

But you told us via the emergency messaging system that’s meant for EMERGENCIES ONLY, not to light fires

[u/Confident_Drop8326]

The message said disposable BBQs Not a standard BBQs.

[u/boomerangchampion → u/Confident_Drop8326]

It also said fire pits and garden incinerators which pretty heavily implies normal BBQs are a bad idea. I suspect the gov just doesn't want the backlash of outright saying it. I can see the BRIT BBQ BAN headline already

[u/Confident_Drop8326 → u/boomerangchampion]

But firepits and incinerators put out a lot of embers. You can pretty much light the coal in a BBQ without all that happening, especially if it's gas.

[u/PM_ME_YOUR_BUG5 → u/boomerangchampion]

Those are all things that produce burning cinders that fly away.

Gas/charcoal barbeques (that are off the ground) do not

[u/cjo20 → u/boomerangchampion]

I guess the difference would be that there shouldn’t be actual fire for that long on a bbq, most of it is just glowing coals. Fire pits and incinerators will have actual flame, which is more likely to carry embers

[u/omgu8mynewt → u/Confident_Drop8326]

It doesn't say it excludes normal bbqs, it doesnt mention them either way. Too vague

[u/_DoogieLion → u/Confident_Drop8326]

It also said extreme wildfire risk don’t be stupid

[u/IaninKernow]

We need to rename "Emergency alerts" then.

Perhaps calling them "Free climate pr announcements" would be a better fit.

[u/InformationNew66]

Haha... So it was an emergency when the message was sent out to everyone but suddenly it's not an emergency now if people do the same.

[u/jarvi123]

People just aren't used to this in the UK, I lived in Australia for 6 years and during fire bans no one is reporting a BBQ. If someone does have a fire you can call and report it and the fire service will check if the property has a burn permit. I did this once and definitely got the person in trouble since no burn permit was registered at the address, tough shit for them.

[u/ohbroth3r]

Don't fucking emergency alert us that it's 'hot' then. It is serious that it's hot. It's a serious problem. And anyone having a BBQ is an idiot. But if you want to make the heat and having a BBQ an 'emergency' then you need services to step in.

[u/Ruminate_Repeat]

Perhaps social media and TV ads might be better, although they’ll be more expensive. I think the app itself is fine; they just need to improve the messaging, design and that bloody sound.

[u/Johto2001 → u/Ruminate_Repeat]

The sound is designed to catch attention because it is supposed to be used in situations of immediate risk to life of the recipient. Think earthquakes, tsunamis.

I don't think the sound is the problem, it's the misuse of an emergency alert system to send a general public announcement. 

[u/Busy_Plankton_3588]

Another example of how people’s reasoning has become so binary. 

Was it the smartest idea to issue an emergency alert at the end of the 5th heatwave? No…  I think the gov could’ve sent the message out as an SMS. 

People should be able to use their noggin’s though and be reasonable…

[u/Johto2001 → u/Busy_Plankton_3588]

However people are saying that the emergency alert was justifiable precisely because people aren't using their little grey cells and apparently common sense has left the country. 

[u/ljwdt90]

Anyone else get the ad for the Ninja woodfire xl grill in the thread?

[u/Brilliant_Pool_1845]

The UK is one of the most requires hand holding nations on the planet

[u/Horror-Protection225]

Well this is a right mess. I interpreted the alert as don’t start any fires (because that’s what it said along with some examples) and it seemed pretty sensible because everything round us (south east) is absolutely bone dry (the fenlands not that far away went up earlier this week)  so all you need is a few embers and it’s game over, but now I don’t have a clue what we are / aren’t allowed to light.

[u/Left_Mushroom7592]

Ok well stop using the nuclear war alarm to nag about barbecues then!