Valleywide : Chick Aims to Reduce False Fire Alarm Calls

After fighting to reduce the number of false alarm calls that police must answer, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Laura Chick proposed this week that a plan be drafted to reduce false alarms that firefighters must answer.

In March, the council adopted a measure by Chick to impose tougher penalties on the owners of burglar alarms that generate false calls to police. The action was in response to complaints from police who responded to 147,000 false calls last year, which accounted for 18% of all police calls.

Chick said Wednesday that she has turned her attention to false alarm calls to the Fire Department after learning that firefighters are also hampered by the same problem.

In 1993 and 1994, the Fire Department responded to 15,957 automatic fire alarm calls, 93% of which were false, according to Chick. One building alone generated 49 false alarms during that period, she said.

“The Fire Department responds to an unacceptably high number of false fire calls each year,” said Chick, who heads the council’s Public Safety Committee. “False alarms cause delays in the Fire Department’s response to legitimate emergencies.”

Chick said false alarms are usually triggered by the maintenance staff’s working on alarm systems, dust or other debris accumulating in smoke detectors, system malfunctions or malicious mischief.

Chick’s motion asks that fire officials explore options to reduce false alarm calls, including the possibility of imposing a fee for owners of systems that repeatedly make false calls. The Fire Department was asked to report back on Chick’s motion in 90 days.