City of Hopkins • Fire Policies • Hopkins Fire Prevention Bureau/Fire Alarm Billing Policy

The City of Hopkins bills you for false fire alarms caused by your employees or fire alarm system.

In 1989, the Hopkins Fire Department responded to 161 false alarms. The average is 154 per year over the last 3 years. This is 41% of our fire calls. More than half of these false alarms were preventable. Excessive alarms such as this:

Cost the city's taxpayers money
Endangers personnel while responding in an emergency manner
Leads to a lackadaisical attitude of building occupants
Can be very upsetting to your tenants

No. Your fire alarm system is required by law. It must be maintained in operable condition.

Yes, but there is a catch. The Minnesota Uniform Fire Code Section 14.105, allows the fire department to require that your fire alarm system be hooked directly into a monitoring company. If you have a fire sprinkler system, you should already be tied in somewhere. If you have a fire alarm system only, you may not be remotely monitored. It is the policy of the Hopkins Fire Department not to require remote monitoring of fire alarm systems unless one of the following conditions exist.

The fire alarm system was activated and the fire department was not called.
The fire alarm system was activated and the fire department did not receive a call until the system had been ringing for 5 or more minutes.
The building operator has a policy that discourages the tenants from calling the fire department when the fire alarm system is activated.
The building or occupants are considered a high risk.
The resident manager or caretaker reset the system prior to the fire departments arrival.

No. The intent of the policy is not to bill property owners for false alarms. We want to cut down on the number of false alarms.

You will not be billed for:

The first three fire alarms within the first 90 days of activating a new fire alarm system
The first false alarm of a calendar year
Burnt food
Non chronic malicious false alarms
Storm and lightening related alarms (not chronic)
Trouble alarms mistaken for actual alarms by your tenants

You will be billed for:

System malfunctions (no reason for alarm found)
Alarms caused by servicing the alarm system
Alarms caused by dust, steam, paint fumes, or other maintenance related air borne particles
Chronic water problems (Sweating pipes)
Chronic lightening or storm related fire alarms
Power failure (this should not set off your fire alarm)
Any other problem that tends to repeat itself
Trouble alarms mistaken by your employees or alarm company for actual alarm

The first false alarm of a calendar year is free. After that, it will cost $250.00 per alarm. This is the average cost to the City for an emergency response. The cost is incurred as soon as the dispatcher pages the fire fighters, even if they are canceled before arriving at your building.

75% of our fire alarm calls are caused by 25% of our alarmed buildings. This tells us that just because you have a fire alarm system doesn't mean you are going to have false alarms. Things that can be done to cut down on false alarms include the following:

Fire alarm systems should be tested and cleaned on a regular basis. At least annually. When something malfunctions it shouldn't be patched but repaired completely. If you have a problem, don't let the alarm service company cop out with an "I don't know". Get a new service company.
All employees should be trained on the care and feeding of the fire alarm system. When working produces dust, fumes, or steam where smoke detectors are present, the detectors should be wrapped in plastic. This not only prevents a false alarm but also protects the detector from damage. When a water pipe bursts or the roof leaks employees should be thinking about where the water is going and what damage it might do to the alarm system. Employees need to know how the system works and the difference between an actual alarm and a trouble alarm.
Replace worn out fire alarm systems. Nothing lasts forever. The new fire alarm systems are much higher tech than the systems that were put in 10 years ago. Most of them have verifications that double check for smoke before they activate the system.
Good equipment, trained employees, and a quality installation job virtually eliminate false alarms. If during a calendar year you have three or more false alarms for no apparent reason, you are probably suffering from a faulty fire alarm system. That system should be replaced.

We will do everything we can to determine why your fire alarm system activated. If there is no apparent reason for the alarm, the fire department will not attempt to reset the system. We will require you to call a qualified service company to determine why the fire alarm system activated. Until they arrive, the building is required to have a fire watch maintained in the corridor area affected by the alarm. A false alarm report is required to be filled out by the alarm service company. After this is returned to the fire marshal's office, a determination will be made whether or not the alarm should be billed to you. You will be billed automatically if the report is not returned.

Fire alarms systems have been very successful in saving lives and property. Your system may have already saved your building by helping occupants to find a fire quickly while it was still small. Alarm systems are necessary. They are here to stay. We must learn to use and maintain these systems. Our efforts will be rewarded by the saving of your tenant's lives and the preservation of your property.

For more information, call 952-548-6454.