WINFIELD - Putnam County residents are facing a new fee if their home or business has repeated false alarm calls from faulty security systems.
The Putnam County Commission unanimously passed the false alarm ordinance during Tuesday's county commission meeting. It will go into effect Feb. 1.
Richard Pullin, fire administrator for the Putnam County Fire Service Board, said volunteer fire departments throughout the county and the Putnam County Sheriff's Department often are called to homes and businesses after an alarm mistakenly rings.
Putnam VFDs responded to 704 false alarm calls in the past year. Putnam Sheriff Steve Deweese said his department responds to three to six calls every day.
Pullin said false alarms often ring because owners are not properly maintaining their systems.
"We're after chronic offenders who have an alarm that they would just rather not maintain than actually have the system working properly."
The ordinance allows homeowners and businesses two warnings within a year-long span.
After that, the county will begin fining $50 for the first offense, $100 for the second, $150 for the third and $200 for the fourth. The fines will not increase past $200.
If the fees are not paid within 30 days, the agency called to the scene will pursue legal action.
Pullin said when fire departments receive repeated calls to the same location, it causes firefighters and law enforcement officers to not respond as quickly to the call.
"It creates complacency," Pullin said. "When you get repetitive calls to the same place, you're not acting with the same sense of safety, the same sense of urgency, the same sense of awareness that you were trained to do."
Putnam County Commissioner Steve Andes said during the meeting that one person who had an issue with their alarm ringing repeatedly has fixed the problem after hearing about the ordinance. He said he expects more to do the same once the ordinance is in effect.
County officials will use the funds raised from the fees for medical expenses for firefighters or another charitable cause.
Reach Ali Schmitz at ali.schmitz@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @SchmitzMedia on Twitter.