Since 1999, Firefighters Control in South Wales have been challenging people they suspect are making hoax calls.  Using a number of key words and phrases when questioning the caller, Firefighters Control are often able to quickly establish whether the call is malicious or not.

This procedure significantly reduces the number of instances when unnecessary resources are mobilised to hoax calls or other calls of a dubious nature. In 2007/08 South Wales Control Operators successfully challenged 423 malicious calls; calls that would have otherwise diverted fire crews from attending genuine emergency incidents.

As it costs the local economy approximately £650 to attend a hoax call (based on two appliances and crews, which would attend an average house fire), these challenged calls have saved South Wales over £275,000 in one year alone.