Having an alarm system is important for the protection of people and property, but having one does come with some responsibilities. According to the San Diego Alarm Prevention and Administration site, the majority of alarms that come in are false. This results in an enormous waste of resources and creates unnecessary danger to citizens, police officers, and firefighters. To combat this problem, local governments require alarm system users to be responsible and obtain the necessary permits.
Alarm Permits
The City of San Diego requires 2 permits for monitored systems. A permit with the Police Department for monitored systems that detect burglary and robbery and a permit with the Fire-Rescue Department for monitored systems that detect fire, harmful gas, and smoke. It is important to understand that these permits are required for all monitored alarm systems for both residential and commercial properties.
Important Facts About False Alarms
A False Alarm is an alarm activation causing a response by fire-rescue departments when an emergency situation does not exist. This includes alarms caused by:
- Mechanical failure
- Malfunction
- Accidental tripping
- Misuse
- Negligent maintenance
Permitted systems are allowed up to two false alarms per calendar year without penalty. Additional false alarms incur increasing penalties plus the cost of recovery. For unpermitted addresses, all false alarm responses are considered excessive and incur escalating fees plus the cost of recovery.
Following is the penalty fee schedule:
- 1st Excessive Response in a 1 year period…… $110
- 2nd Excessive Response in a 1 year period ….. $220
- 3rd Excessive Response in a 1 year period…… $440
- 4 or more Excessive Response in a 1 year period… $2,200
- Excessive responses by San Diego Fire-Rescue will also incur a fee of $85 for cost recovery of time spent by the fire crew, in addition to the penalties incurred.
Alarm Response Increases Safety and Saves Money
In addition to getting your alarm permits, there is another highly effective way to avoid false alarms fees while increasing safety—RSF’s Alarm Response service. RSF provides an Alarm Response Service that treats your alarm as a priority and dispatches highly visible, trained personnel to investigate the activation and relaying critical information in a timely manner to the local authorities. Due to the amount of false alarms and other emergencies, law enforcement may not be able to respond for some time. RSF treats all activations seriously and with urgency making your family and home our #1 priority.
With alarm response you also receive a week of complimentary vacation patrols annually. When you go on vacation, it is important to take all of the necessary precautions, such as stopping mail, using anti-intrusion systems, and home automation to simulate your presence. However, it is difficult to fool professional criminals. Even with all of your best efforts, they may see the one thing that tips them off that you are away on vacation. Personalized vacation patrol of your home ensures someone is looking over your home while you’re gone; deterring potential break-ins.
Here are just a few of the advantages of Alarm Response:
- Increased safety
- Responding to alarms is our number one priority
- Much more affordable than recurring false alarm fees ($15 per month for the first year of service)
- Timely response
- RSF never charges false alarm fees
If you have any questions about alarm permits or alarm response to reduce the incidence of false alarms, please give RSF Security a call today! (800) 303-8877