Notice of False Fire Alarm

False fire alarms cost all of us. Each year in Pickering your fire service responds to alarms where upon investigation, the cause is not a fire but poor maintenance of the alarm system. Maliciously activated fire alarms are also a serious concern. Because of these incidents the possibility is always present that responding to nuisance alarms may delay our response to a real emergency.

To deal with this issue, the City of Pickering has enacted Bylaw No. 6338-04, which identifies fees to be charged for nuisance and malicious alarms. An administration fee of $350.00 per dispatched fire vehicle will be charged. The following is a schedule of fees:

1. For responding to false alarms occurring as a result of a failure to maintain a fire alarm system or emergency system:

   (a) first false alarm in any calendar year - NIL
   (b) each subsequent false alarm in any calendar year - $350.00
        or consecutive twelve month period, per fire vehicle dispatched.
    

2. For responding to false alarms occurring as a result of work being performed on a fire alarm system or emergency system:

   (a) each false alarm - $350.00
    

3. For responding to false alarms occurring as a result of a malicious act:

   (a) first false alarm in any consecutive three month period - NIL
   (b) each subsequent false alarm in any consecutive three month period, 
        per fire vehicle dispatched - $350.00

Properly installed and maintained fire alarm systems are important factors in minimizing nuisance alarms.

Your cooperation is essential toward reducing nuisance and false alarms in the City and increasing the availability of our Fire Fighters to respond to property or life saving emergencies.

Yours truly,

W.T. Douglas
Fire Chief

For further information please contact Fire Prevention at 905.839.9968

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