Department cuts down on false fire, rescue calls

Jace Radke

Friday, Feb. 1, 2002 | 9 a.m.

Las Vegas Fire Department officials say they will save money and provide better service by no longer responding to all automatic fire and medical alarms reported by security companies.

Fire and rescue crews since Jan. 15 have not responded to the alarms unless the companies send personnel to verify a fire or medical emergency, department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

"A lot of the monitoring companies are out-of-state operations that provide services here, and if the alarm is tripped they call 911," Szymanski said. "We send out engines and rescue units to check out the calls, and they turn out to be false and the taxpayers pay the bill."

Szymanski estimates that 3,000 false fire calls were made in Las Vegas' jurisdiction last year.

"For each of those (fire) calls we send out five companies at a cost of about $250 apiece," Szymanski said. "We get about five to 10 of those calls a night, so it quickly adds up."

For the 3,000 false fire calls last year, Szymanski estimates the department spent about $3,750,000.

Henderson, North Las Vegas and Clark County send engines or rescue units to all emergency calls, even if they come from a security company that has not sent a representative to verify the alarm.

"We will send one engine to check those calls out, but the engine will not be rolling code with lights and sirens," Henderson Fire Chief Jim Cavalieri said. "I can't remember one that actually turned out to be something."

Las Vegas fire and rescue will continue to respond to 911 calls from residents and businesses if sprinklers have been activated or if smoke and odors are reported, Szymanski said.

False medical calls also eat up firefighters' time and leave them unavailable for other emergencies.

"There are services that check on the sick or elderly every few hours, and if they don't respond to the phone calls 911 is called," Szymanski said. "The problem is that sometimes these people are at the store or visiting friends, and the monitoring company is assuming that there is a problem.

"Many times we'll have to force entry into a home only to find that the person who is supposedly in need of help is out of town."

Szymanski said there have been times when a security company will tell dispatchers a representative has arrived on-scene and determined that the danger is real when no check has been made. Security companies now face fines up to $1,000 fines if firefighters find neither an emergency nor a company representative at the scene.

The move by Las Vegas fire and rescue is similar to a policy that area police agencies use when dealing with automatic burglary alarms, which are often accidental and force officers from areas where they may be needed, North Las Vegas Police spokesman Lt. Art Redcay said.

Larry Folsom, general manager of A-1 Security, a company that monitors burglar and fire alarms, said that his company always sends representatives to determine the nature of tripped alarms.

"We always notify emergency services, and also send out our own representatives," Folsom said.

Many Las Vegas residents use a panic alarm system that allows them to press a button on a necklace or bracelet to send an automatic call for help. Las Vegas Fire Department units will still respond to these panic alarms, which are comparable to 911 calls, Szymanski said.

"The thing that was running the wheels of our rescue units were the welfare checks for people who turned out not to be home," Szymanski said. "Cutting the false calls not only saves money, but it allows units to get to real emergencies instead of being stuck at a non-emergency."