Minutes 10-02-2014 Fire - Laserfiche WebLink

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Jason Shepherd said the County is currently being charged for multiple fire alarm activations from the Town of Hillsborough. He said he is encouraging asset management to keep up with the maintenance on these fire alarm systems. Dan Jones said every time there is an alarm it ties up law enforcement and fire equipment and prevents that resource from being available to other calls. He said there is also wear and tear on equipment and the safety aspect of putting equipment on the road. He said the schools often do not maintain their alarm systems, and this results in a lot of calls. Commissioner Price said when Emergency Services presents this item to the Board of County Commissioners she would like to know how much it costs to respond to false alarms. She asked if the suggestion would be for a fee or a fine. Jason Shepherd said it could be called either one. He said he is just going to rearrange the existing fee schedule to accommodate some of the recommendations. He said this will include out of service sprinkler and fire alarm systems. Commissioner Rich said it is not encouraging to hear that the schools are not maintaining their alarm systems. She asked if this is true in the County, and if fining has made them more aware. Dan Jones said it has made the institutions more aware of the issue and the need to do more maintenance work on their systems. He said this is also true for the University system. He said when you touch someone's pocket book they realize it is better to maintain the system than to pay a civil penalty. Jeff Cabe said Orange Rural covers all of the County schools except for Gravelly Hill and Efland Cheeks. He said the biggest offenders are Cedar Ridge, Orange High, Grady Brown and Hillsborough Elementary. He questioned whether it would it be reasonable to adopt Chapel Hill's policy County-wide, as this would mean everyone is treated the same. Jason Shepherd said Chapel Hill's policy was based on a one year study, and he does not feel comfortable waiting that long. Dan Jones said there are so many false alarms allowed per year before you get to a fine. He said power outages do not count against this. Pete Hallenbeck said another cost to consider is the wear and tear on volunteers who have to respond to calls at three in the morning. Mike Tapp said he was instrumental in bringing this up to the Fire Chief's Council because of repeat problems at the Emerson Waldorf complex. He agrees that there is an impact on volunteers, and another consideration is the mutual aid that has to be sent from other departments. Phillip Nasseri said another consideration for use of those fees is to help fund a training facility. Commissioner McKee asked if there are any down sides to the fees, other than public relations. Dan Jones said it is not great for public relations, and it is another fee, which people tend to resent. He said theoretically it should reduce their false alarms and the revenue should dwindle away. Commissioner McKee said that effect should be the focus, rather than revenue generation. Dan Jones said the reaction of different entities is interesting. He said the University has gotten busy right away fixing some of their systems and becoming more code compliant. He said they have even looked at ways to pass the fees along to construction contractors in the event that they set off the alarms. He said the other approach taken by the hospital was to estimate the fees and put a line item in the budget to pay it.