As fire department responses to false alarms increase significantly, a new system of warnings and fines is created.
By ADRIENNE P. SAMUELS
Published January 15, 2004
CLEARWATER - Eight runs to the same address in 10 days.
All for false fire alarms in the summer of 2002.
This led Fire Marshal Joel Gray to have a friendly chat with the folks heading renovations at 880 Mandalay Ave. on Clearwater Beach.
"I let the construction foreman know this is your responsibility and the next time we show up for something like this, you're going to get the notice to appear in court," Gray said.
The scenario repeated itself some 1,500 times that year.
"Only 60 addresses in Clearwater were responsible for those alarms," said Gray. "We looked at it and said this ought to be a manageable situation."
So, in October, Clearwater officials updated the laws governing those whose automatic alarm systems repeatedly cry wolf.
Property owners who turn in false alarms now face a stiff penalty that starts with a warning and graduates to fines of $137, $156 and finally $500 for the fourth false alarm, plus possible court dates. The fee schedule takes place within one calendar year.
Morton Plant Hospital was a big offender because of its ongoing construction, said Gray. Workers did not turn off or cover the alarms. So when the drywall was sanded, fine dust particles set them off.
The hospital had 19 false alarms in the first 10 months of 2003.
"We brought this to their attention and they became a big supporter of ours in getting this ordinance in place," said Gray.
Morton Plant administrators say they'll pay future fines if need be.
"We would work with them and while we might discuss it with them, we're always very committed to complying with all the city regulations and requirements," said Beth Hardy, a hospital spokesperson.
The law is not designed to recoup the money lost by going to false alarms. It doesn't affect people whose alarms are tripped by rowdy kids, lightning storms and other acts of nature. It attempts to fine people who know there is a problem with their alarm system and fail to do anything about it.
Pinellas County has a similar law. Largo does not. Instead, the city deals with repeat offenders on a case by case basis, said Division Chief Mark Jones. Largo had 731 false alarms in 2002.
"If we determine it's a problem with the alarm system, we go through our normal violation process," said Jones. "It could be a smoke alarm in a bad location. We've been pretty successful in abating these things."
In 880 Mandalay's case, at the request of the fire department, the owners recently finished installing a new alarm system, Gray said.
It's important to get these things straightened out, Gray said, because people inside buildings should never feel as though there are too many false alarms.
"That's one of our biggest concerns, that the civilians that work in these buildings will become complacent and won't evacuate," said Gray.
When fines are implemented, false alarms drop by 50 percent in the first year, according to firefighters.
