What is a “Preventable Response?
When firefighters are called to a building because its automatic alarm system is triggered by something other than a fire, it is often a “preventable response.” False alarms are increasingly frequent cost money and time, so the City of Bellevue charges fees for alarms considered preventable. The intent is to encourage maintenance and needed modification of alarm systems and discourage careless acts that result in alarm activation. This in turn should increase the availability of fire department resources for legitimate emergencies. See the downloadable preventable responses handout.
