Page 16 - Martin Downs Bulletin - March '22

Page 16, Martin Downs

loCal GovernMenT

‘Please Don’t Cry Wolf’ out of the sensors’ zone, and businesses and homeowners for false alarms. There is no fine

even checking for drafts that for the first false alarm if the alarm operator has a valid alarm
By Ruth “Ski” can cause movement of the permit. Alarm permit application forms are available on the
Pietruszewski, houseplants, holiday decorations, tax collector’s website, and the permit fee is $20.
Martin County Tax fans, etc., are ways of preventing As an incentive to reduce false alarm calls, alarm operators
Collector or limiting the incidents. Many who had no false alarm incidents during a permit year will be
It’s good news for public jurisdictions impose costly fines rewarded by having the cost of their renewal being reduced
safety that automatic alarms for excessive false alarms to offset to $10, if their permit is renewed prior to the expiration date.
and detection systems are the expenditures. The biggest cost Alarm systems provide significant protection to our lives
widely used, so incident is in the loss of lifesaving resources. and property, if installed and used properly. False alarms place
and first responders can take On Sept. 27, 2005, Martin County Commissioners adopted a drain on frontline services, increase the risk to road users,
lifesaving action quickly. an ordinance titled The Martin County False Alarm Reduction and cause interruption to the business sector and communities.
Alarm systems are designed Ordinance 770, which allows imposing a fine against We should do whatever we can to prevent and reduce them.
to protect our lives and
property, and when properly installed, used and maintained,
are a real asset. However, when responders are sent out on false Did You Know You Can ‘Co- The following illustrates this scenario.
alarm calls, it means they don’t get to the genuine incidents as
quickly and that’s time they can’t get back, hindering a rapid Own’ A Property With Your
response to a critical call. The risk to human life because of House No. 1
this wasted time is a cause for concern. Adult Child, And They Can This house is
Many culprits can cause an alarm to go off. Stimuli that Still File For The Homestead owned by John
trick detectors or sensors such as cooking – grilling bacon and Mary Smith.
and burning toast, welding and grinding, steam from a Exemption Benefit? John and Mary live
shower, cigarette smoke, dust, aerosols, cleaning chemicals, and reside in this
a malfunction of the system, low batteries, loose sensors, By Jenny Fields, CFA, home and filed for
roaming pets, and simple user error, can all unnecessarily Martin County Property their homestead
generate a false alarm. Appraiser exemption.
False alarms disrupt everyday activities. They’re Due to the rising cost
inconvenient, stressful, cause unnecessary expense, and are a of property ownership, it’s
wholly unproductive activity. A false alarm is a notification of not uncommon for parents
an alarm to the police department when responding authorities to “co-own” a property House No. 2
find no evidence of criminal offense or fire. Such occurrences with their child. While the This house is
engage the police or fire department and needlessly divert public parents own another home owned by John and
safety resources, costing time and means of local municipalities. and receive the homestead Mary Smith and
Frequent false alarms desensitize communities to the actual exemption benefit on their their adult daughter
incidents of crime or fire, eventually leading to ignoring the home, the child may file Maggie Smith.
actual cases. Alarms that are crying wolf affect people’s for homestead exemption on the “co- Maggie Smith lives
behavior making them feel there’s no need to react to the alarm, owned” property. and resides in this
but for the one in ten or in a hundred alarms that is genuine, You may own more than one home home and filed
complacency could be fatal. but you can only claim homestead for her homestead
Educating household members on operating the system, exemption on one home. That home exemption.
checking windows and doors, making sure that pets are needs to be your primary residence.