A FURNITURE factory sparked off a fire alert last week but it turned out to be a false alarm.
Crews discovered the error when they turned up at MFI in Astmoor, Runcorn, at midday, last Friday.
Sub officer, Ken Sharratt, said firefighters were keen to encourage companies to be more vigilant.
He said: "We are giving out guides to reduce the number of false alarms. They divert us from fire prevention, dealing with emergencies and disrupt our training and other duties."
Equipment faults, human error and activities near detectors, such as making toast, he said, can often trigger false alarms.
Fire alarms need to be maintained regularly, he stressed, by professionals.
"We are always available to talk to companies and offer free fire safety advice."
