False Alarm Charging
The MFB attends a huge number of unwanted false alarm calls each year.
History
During the 1980's false alarms increased rapidly due to a large number of fire alarm systems being installed in buildings.
By 1989 there were over 28,000 false alarm calls, more than 68% of all attendances.
Fire officers in the field reported that many of the false alarms were due to a lack of maintenance and poor management of fire alarm systems.
In 1989, the MFB commenced a program to reduce unwanted false alarms.
The State Government enacted legislation to enable the Board to levy fees and charges against the owner or occupier of a fire alarm system if there was no reasonable excuse for a false alarm being given.
Today
Statistics clearly show that this legislation has succeeded in reducing the number of unwanted false alarm calls.
This has enabled the MFB to concentrate on more worthwhile community projects such as the Emergency Medical Response program.