Charles County police, fire and emergency medical services personnel respond to over 10,000 false alarms each year. It is estimated that Charles County's false alarm response rate has resulted in the waste of approximately 5,000 emergency personnel man hours and many thousands of dollars annually. These unfounded alarm calls reduce the effectiveness of our emergency services and undermine their ability to respond to legitimate, critical calls.
Charles County False Alarm Ordinance No. 98-48 was adopted on June 1, 1998 by the Charles County Commissioners to address this abuse and waste of emergency resources and to reduce unnecessary safety risks posed to County emergency response personnel and citizens during a false alarm response.
The False Alarm Reduction Unit (FARU) of the Charles County Department of Emergency Services was created to administer False Alarm Ordinance No. 98-48. The FARU's main function is to reduce the number of false alarms to which police, fire and emergency medical services respond to each year.
The FARU:
- licenses alarm companies;
- registers alarm users;
- sends notification of false alarms and levies civil monetary penalties for excessive false alarms to alarm users;
- provides advance notification to alarm users and alarm companies of applicable registration renewal dates;
- ensures that appropriate inspections and upgrades of alarm systems occur;
- administers the False Alarm Appeals Process;
- develops and administers a public information program to educate alarm system users on provisions of the False Alarm Ordinance and the proper maintenance and use of alarm systems; and
- assists in the goal to reduce false alarms in Charles County
Sherry Herd, Administrator
False Alarm Reduction Unit (FARU)