Whitecourt town council has adopted a new False Alarm Bylaw in an effort to reduce the number of false alarms reported to emergency services.
The town has seen a significant increase in false alarms over the past several years, particularly involving fire alarm systems, according to the council agenda.
Bylaw No. 1588 aims to recover some costs associated with responding to false alarms and encourage proper maintenance of alarm systems.
Under the new bylaw, the initial user fee for this type of incident has been increased to $250 from $200, with the fee doubling for each subsequent false alarm. If the fire department or a peace officer is notified the alarm is false before any emergency vehicles have responded, that fee is to be reduced by half.
It also outlines a fee rebate system supporting alarm system improvements to prevent future incidents.
Council adopted the bylaw during its regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 26.
