On February 1, 2002, the Las Vegas Department of Fire and Rescue (LVF/R) announced that effective at 5:00pm that day, it would no longer respond to automatic alarms or those alarms received from alarm companies that do not comply with its new Fire Alarm Response Criteria.
According to the new LVF/R criteria,
· it will only respond to water flow signals (automatic sprinklers) and to alarms with the smell of smoke or an unusual odor accompanied by alarms.
· LVF/R will no longer respond to any other alarm unless someone (either the homeowner or an alarm company representative) verifies the validity of the alarm on site.
False water flow alarms will carry a fine of $250 to homeowners; a $1,000 fine will be imposed on any central station that states that it has verified the alarm, but is not present at the site when the Fire Department arrives.
The policy was put in place without a public hearing or any input from the alarm industry, the business community or the Las Vegas citizens.
The Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) supports the efforts of the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) and of the Nevada Association of Security Professionals (NASP) to change this policy.
CSAA, in conjunction with the above associations, believes that such a policy could seriously threaten life and property. In addition, it believes that the seriousness of the issue deserves a proper period of public scrutiny.
As reported, the LVF/R's own statistics show a reduction of false alarms over the past year. CSAA believes there are programs in place, such as the AIREF Model Ordinance and CSAA's False Alarm Analysis Program (FAAP), that are effective in reducing false alarms and will not jeopardize life & property.
"The new LVF/R response policy has caught the Las Vegas community by complete surprise. It is unfortunate that the Fire Department and the fire alarm industry have had no communications, and that the Chief has imposed colossal response restrictions without even consulting with us," said Bud Wulforst, President of Las Vegas-based A-1 Security, Ltd. "These restrictions put both the City and the Fire Alarm industry at odds with existing law. I can only hope the existing policy is rescinded before Las Vegas suffers irreparable damage at the hands of the insurance industry and the national press, and of course before a tragedy occurs. The fire alarm industry should do everything in its power to open lines of communication and to assist the fire department in reducing responses to unwanted alarms," added
Wulforst.
We will keep you informed of further developments on this issue.
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