False fire alarms cost owners $77k

More than $77,000 has been charged to Western Bay of Plenty building owners considered too cheap or too complacent in their fire safety.
Figures released to the Bay of Plenty Times this week under the Official Information Act revealed the New Zealand Fire Service charged $77,625 to 69 people responsible for false alarms over the past financial year, with one additional charge yet to be invoiced.
The 70 charges come from 451 false alarms Western Bay firefighters responded to over this period. Commercial buildings were the subject of 413 of these calls.
Fire Service Bay of Plenty Coast area manager Ron Devlin said people not servicing or failing to properly maintain their fire alarm systems was a common problem.
People being too cheap to fix faulty fire safety equipment which repeatedly sounded was another issue.
"There are people who will allow it to happen who say it is cheaper to do that than actually fix the alarm," Mr Devlin said.
"I have had businesses and building owners get up into the $20,000 mark over their charges before they finally come to the table."
In the Western Bay, false alarms accrue to about 40 per cent of all emergency fire calls. This includes repeated call outs to faulty or poorly maintained alarms.
"We keep it under control. If anything, we are probably in a slight decline in numbers, which is a good thing," he said.
Mr Devlin said he was "a bit tough" about enforcing the charges because every preventable false alarm took firefighting resources away from potential real fires, training and community commitments like school visits.
The fire service can charge if they have been to the same building at least three times in a year for a false alarm. Decisions are made in consideration of a Fire Service Commission policy, which ensures anyone making a 111 call with "good intent" should not be charged.
Fire service corporate communications manager Scott Sargentina said there was no intention to discourage genuine calls for assistance.
"While the occasional unwanted alarm from a fire alarm system is perhaps inevitable, repeated false alarms from a single system are avoidable," Mr Sargentina said.
"Charging building owners for Fire Service attendance at false alarm events is a last resort."
DEFINITIONS
A malicious false alarm is where a person knowingly, wilfully or recklessly gives, or causes to be given, any false alarm of fire. Making a malicious false alarm is also an offence.
A "good intent" false alarm is where a person genuinely thought there was a fire or emergency, which later proved not to be true, such as steam mistaken for smoke.
A false alarm is a response to almost all other fire alarm system activations where the call may have occurred due to the detection of heat, smoke or airborne contaminants, which did not result from an actual fire.