Sacramento considers charging for false fire alarms

Sacramento Fire Department can’t afford for people to cry wolf anymore. Which is why the city council was scheduled this past Tuesday, August 21, to hear a proposed new ordinance that would establish fines and fees for businesses and residents who repeatedly set off false fire alarms.

The city staff report notes that nearly 3,000 false alarms were sounded in 2011, most of which result because of lack of maintenance on fire-alarm systems. One unnamed location even set off 38 last year. Fine and fee amounts have yet to be determined; the ordinance could save the city upward of $300,000 annually.