The National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) opposes a new modification to the Las Vegas Fire & Rescue (LVFR) policy stating that LVFR will no longer respond to fire or emergency calls that are not verified on site by an individual. The policy was made effective Feb. 1 without input from citizens, business owners or alarm companies, according to the association.

LVFR also says it will begin levying fines against homeowners, businesses and alarm companies that call in fire or other emergencies when there is no actual emergency. It says the fines will range between $250 and $1,000, with the stiffest fines possibly issued to alarm companies.

LVFR has said that false alarm calls have put many of their fire and rescue teams in compromising situations.  While the NBFAA understands the seriousness and nature of LVFR’s situation, it also believes that no policies and procedures should be enacted without proper public comment and working through issues together.

According to a LVFR press release announcing the policy:  “The new procedure will require property owners to have someone check out the premises to see if a fire is actually in progress…if the call turns out to be a false alarm, fire officials may issue the business owner a citation because of a false alarm…under the new procedure, someone will have to actually verify that a fire is in progress before crews will respond.”

Nevada state code requires compliance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.

NBFAA President Bart Didden says the new modification to LVFR policy causes a new host of problems for alarm companies and could have effects on fire and rescue teams across the United States. “This change in policy will result in delayed fire department response to actual fire events,” says Didden.  “The alarm industry will also have great difficulty in complying with both state regulation and the new local modification. When people’s lives are at stake, we must work together. It is the only way that policies and procedures can truly be effective.”

NBFAA Government Relations Director David Johnson says the new modification to LVFR policy operates under the assumption that all alarms are false.

NBFAA Executive Director Brad Shipp stated:  “We will continue to pursue this issue vigorously until it is resolved in a manner that gives the citizens of Las Vegas the basic fire protection that they deserve under Nevada law.”

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