County Commissioners held their regular meeting last week. They set a public hearing for an ordinance that would amend Title 2 of the Churchill County Code to prohibit the transmission of false fire alarms.
According to Fire Chief Jared Dooley, the Fallon Churchill Volunteer Fire Department has been dealing with “repeat offenders” whose alarm systems continue to send false alarm calls to the department, causing problems if the department receives legitimate emergency calls at the same time. Because many new homes engage automated services that call firefighters to the residence anytime an alarm is triggered, Dooley is looking for a way to get people to “be accountable.”
According to the agenda report, “The automated transmission of alarms where no actual or perceived emergency exists has resulted in over seventy-five calls for service and five hundred hours of labor by the Fire Department since 2022. The response to false fire alarms disrupts the lives of firefighters, incurs substantial costs, and potentially endangers the lives of persons in actual emergencies.”
The proposed ordinance would establish the commissioners' authority to levy a fine on any person who initiates a false fire alarm and does not contact the fire department within five minutes. The fine is intended to encourage homeowners with these systems to take steps to reduce the number of call-outs where no emergency exists. The county code enforcement officer would provide enforcement.
Commission Chairman Myles Getto and Commissioner Justin Heath questioned the results of unintended consequences of the punitive measure.
“How will this stop a false alarm by fining people – won’t it just make people disable their alarms,” Heath said. Getto also echoed that sentiment.
Dooley said the ordinance has not been crafted, but the thinking is that possibly after the first fine, firemen can instruct people that if they fix the problem, go to the building department, and show proof, it might be possible to forgive the first fine.
“We don’t want to put fear into people not to call,” Heath said. “People are often afraid to call an ambulance because they fear the costs, and we don’t want this to deter people from calling in emergencies."
"We don’t really want your $200,” said Dooley, “We want some level of enforcement that requires people to work with us. We have had a number of offenders. We have had folks this happened with four or five times.”
County Manager Jim Barbee said that if a code enforcement staff were heavy-handed, “ultimately the commission has authority to manage the county manager and alleviate those kinds of things. There’s always hands on the controls at the hands of the commissioners.”
Dooley said these kinds of ordinances exist elsewhere. “I look at this ordinance as the first step in making people responsible for systems they own,” he said.
Heath pointed out, “We don’t make ordinances when people burn ditches on windy days, nor when they use a burning barrel. This is a slippery slope. Any time you make a rule there’s always consequences to that.”
“Yeah, and every time you don’t make a rule, there’s consequences to that,” Dooley said.
Commissioners set the hearing on the ordinance for April 17 at 1:15 p.m.
In other business, commissioners appointed Jessica Rowe to the Library Board of Trustees.
Additionally, Shannon Ernst presented information regarding the approval of a revised agreement with the Nevada Housing Division regarding the Home Means Nevada Initiative in Churchill County for $1,743,500 to support the property rehabilitation and implementation of the New Pass House and Day Center, which will be located on Quail Way. Commissioners approved the purchase of the properties at 280, 282, 290, and 292 Quail Way at the March 20 meeting for $775,000.
This project was originally approved by commissioners nearly a year ago and was planned for the facility where the District Attorney is located, 165 N. Ada Street. That plan has changed, and the project will be located on Quail Way.
The county intends to provide transitional housing services and a facility where people who need basic care services can receive assistance.
Ernst said at the time commissioners approved the original project, “We have homeless wandering the streets trying to get into places, they need showers, they need to access laundry services, and need a warm meal, some have severe mental illness. We would like to create a quiet space and create crisis intervention, and this creates one place to access services.”
The funding will be used to remodel, modify, and furnish the existing structures. According to Ernst, the county is using a property management company to assist the current tenants of the buildings with relocation plans.
The story from August 25, 2023, is located at: https://www.thefallonpost.org/article/5436,county-commissioners-address-homeless-services.
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