CHAPEL HLL – The Chapel Hill Town Council unanimously approved a new ordinance Monday that will fine home and business owners whose security systems repeatedly trigger false alarms.

The measure, which is planned to take affect in January of 2014, was proposed by members of both the Chapel Hill Fire Department and the Chapel Hill Police Department.

Another provision of the ordinance is that an alarm user must obtain an alarm permit from the Town within 10 business days of the initial operation of the system.

Fire Chief Dan Jones spoke to the Council and said that the department’s research indicated that 95 percent of alarms are false, accidental, or otherwise unfounded.

“The purpose of these alarms is to reduce these accidental alarms that tie up public resources and create unnecessary responses, which is a safety issue for us,” Jones said.

Accidental alarm activations can occur as a result of malfunctioning equipment, human error, or environmental conditions. The ordinance sets civil penalties for excessive false alarms, four or more within a permit year, and failure to obtain applicable alarm permits.

The CHPD responded to 1,250 alarm activations at a cost of $122,400. CHPD Chief Chris Blue also explained why he believed the program was important for the safety of the community.

A routine police alarm response includes at least two officers. A typical fire department alarm response requires up to ten firefighters.

The average time spent on-scene for alarm calls is 17 minutes.

“In the time it takes to clear an alarm, we are tying up half of the town’s fire fighting and emergency response resources,” Jones said.

Jones said that the program will require the equivalent of a full-time staff person and estimated the person will be in office for the first 12 months.

Chief Blue said that both departments will continues researching which alarm systems prove to be the faultiest, with the intention producing a report of the findings for the Council and community.

Council member Lee Storrow said he was concerned about the costs that UNC would accrue due to false alarms, though he was supportive of the program.

Related Stories
‹
NCDEQ To Host Meeting For Public Comment on Draft Brownfields Agreement
The Department of Environmental Quality will soon host a meeting for public comment on a draft brownfields agreement.
Chapel Hill, DEQ Set to Share Draft Agreement for 828 MLK Boulevard's Coal Ash Remediation
Chapel Hill said the Department of Environmental Quality is preparing a public comment period on 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd for July.
Chapel Hill Negotiates Lease for New Police Department Headquarters Off Millhouse Road
UPDATE: On June 17, the Chapel Hill Town Council unanimously approved a resolution allowing the town manager to execute a lease at 7300 Millhouse Road as part of its consent agenda. The Chapel Hill Police Department has long sought a permanent home beyond their current spot at 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The facility […]
Local Service Award Winners Honored at UNC Men's Basketball Game
The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro honored its 2023 Service Award winners before the UNC men’s basketball team’s game at the Smith Center on Wednesday night. Eleven winners in total were recognized for their outstanding work. The winners were joined on court by several other members of the service community, including Carrboro mayor Barbara […]
Chapel Hill Gives Chris Blue Permanent Town Manager Title After Search
After conducting a nationwide search for its next town manager, the Town of Chapel Hill ultimately didn’t have to look far from home. The local government announced that Chris Blue, who has been serving as the interim town manager, is being named to the permanent role. The Chapel Hill Town Council passed its approval of […]
Police: Car Crash Into Tree Kills 2 in Chapel Hill
Two people died Tuesday night after a car crash struck a tree near the Meadowmont Village neighborhood in Chapel Hill, according to police. A release from the town government early Wednesday morning said both the Chapel Hill Police and Chapel Hill Fire departments responded to a report of a vehicle on fire around 9:40 p.m. […]
Chapel Hill Fire: 4 Injured in Single-Vehicle Crash that Closed Road
A fiery single-vehicle crash led to several trips to the hospital and a road closure late Friday night, according to the Chapel Hill Fire Department. Emergency services responded to calls of a crash shortly after 9:30 p.m. and sent out a social media alert after 10 p.m. about the closure of Seawell School Road near […]
Chapel Hill Tabs Outgoing Police Chief Chris Blue as Interim Town Manager
Chris Blue won’t have very long to enjoy his retirement from the Chapel Hill Police Department at the end of the year — as he’ll step into the interim town manager role for Chapel Hill. The town council voted in a special meeting Wednesday afternoon to appoint Blue to the position, which was needed after […]
Chapel Hill Police Investigating Death Connected to A Vehicle Fire
The Chapel Hill Police Department is investigating a death that occurred Wednesday afternoon in an apartment complex off Sage Road. The department shared a release saying officers received a call of a vehicle fire at Dickens Court around 4 p.m. on Wednesday. When police and the Chapel Hill Fire Department arrived, they found a burning […]
Chapel Hill Public Safety Task Force Shares Update on Policing Alternatives and Reforms
In June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, the Chapel Hill Town Council passed a resolution on Developing New Community Approaches to Improve Racial Equity and Public Safety. This resolution helped to form the Reimagining Community Safety Task Force, which presented an update at last week’s Chapel Hill Town Council meeting.
›