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Iredell County, NC, To Fine for False Alarms

Beginning Wednesday, false fire alarms will mean the possibility of a fine in Iredell County, NC.

An ordinance, adopted by the Iredell County Board of Commissioners, will impose civil fines on what are called excessive alarms — more than three in a 12-month period.

Iredell County Fire Marshal Lloyd Ramsey said it is expensive for the county's volunteer fire departments to respond to repeated false alarms.

The city of Statesville instituted a policy of charging for false alarms a number of years ago.
The fine process is as follows:

- One to two in a 12-month period: no fine

- Three to four in a 12-month period: $50 civil penalty

- Five to six: $100

- Seven or more: $250

These fines are for each false alarm above the number considered excessive.

Ramsey said the alarm ordinance effects every business, home, church, factory or any other type of occupancy that has any type of automatic or manual fire alarm system. Ramsey said that includes sprinkler, standpipe or any other automatic extinguishing system which sends a signal to an alarm-monitoring center when activated.

The money collected through fines will go back to the volunteer fire department whose district includes the building where the alarm is activated.

There is an appeals process, Ramsey said. An appeal will be heard by at least two members of the Iredell County Fire Tax Board, a group which includes one commissioner and other members appointed by the board of commissioners.

False fire alarms comprised nearly one fifth of the fire alarm activations county firefighters answered in 2008.

Brad Brawley, assistant communications director for Iredell County, said activations either deemed false or accidental totalled 341 in 2008. County firefighters responded to a total 1,594 fire alarms in 2008.

The remainder of the alarms were attributed to other causes, including smoke in a building or a malfunction in the alarm system.

The county's volunteer fire departments will keep track of false activations and send those to Ramsey or someone in his office.

The fire marshal's office will then notify the owner of the violation and include the dates and times and the fines.

The county finance department will be responsible for collecting the fines.

The entire ordinance can be viewed on the county's Web site at www.co.iredell.nc.us/welcome.asp. Anyone with questions can call the fire marshal's office at (704) 878-3035.