Regina fire department warns residents of faulty secondary alarms being sold

Regina Fire and Protective Services says it’s growing concerned over the number of false alarm calls it has received in recent months.

At a media conference Friday afternoon, fire marshal Randy Ryba said the department has been made aware of secondary alarms being sold to residents mostly in north central Regina which are causing fire crews to arrive at various false alarm calls.

Regina Fire Marshal Randy Ryba speaks about faulty secondary alarms being sold, mostly in north central Regina. (Shane Clausing/980 CJME)

“We’ve noticed an uptick in the last two to three weeks about monitored fire alarm false alarm calls. It does cause us great concern because a number of these systems appear not to be working as designed,” Ryba explained.

Ryba says there are some calls firefighters show up to where residents have no idea the alarm was even triggered. When one of the secondary alarms is set off, a dispatcher notifies 911 and fire crews head to the scene.

While buying a secondary fire alarm is allowed, some people are using it to replace their main mandatory fire alarm. As a result, the secondary system acts as the main system and sometimes is being triggered for unnecessary reasons.

“Sometimes it is a device being positioned wrong in the home. Dust will set it off (or) wind currents, but yet when they’re alarming when they shouldn’t, that’s certainly not a good thing,” Ryba said.

Those with alarms that aren’t working are asked to notify the manufacturer immediately so any issues can be resolved.

Most of the systems have been installed in residential dwellings and apartment buildings. Ryba adds the fire department received 107 false alarm calls in the month of June, which is up over 121 per cent from the previous year.

Ryba suggests these false alarm calls are leaving them shorthanded in other areas of the city.

“Not only does it take us out of position to answer real emergencies, (but) every time we leave the hall, it puts us and the citizens at risk,” he said. “We have to start shuffling trucks around to handle other halls to backfill calls that shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

An investigation into the matter is continuing.

Ryba added he has reached out to the landlords’ association to be on the lookout for tenants potentially doing this. Ryba mentioned it is illegal and the department will caution and fine if it finds someone interfering with an alarm approved by the city.