If your Orleans Parish business has an alarm system, registration with the City of New Orleans is required annually. Business owners should also understand what can happen when repeated alarm signals result in police dispatches where no emergency is found.
New Orleans uses a Four Strikes policy for false alarms. The first false alarm receives a warning, the second carries a $75 fine, the third carries a $150 fine, and the fourth adds another $150 fine along with a notice of suspension of police response. That brings the cumulative fines for the second through fourth false alarms to $375.
After a fourth false alarm, suspension does not take effect immediately. The city provides a 15-day appeal window after the notice is received, but the possibility of losing routine police response to subsequent alarm signals makes repeated false alarms something businesses should address well before reaching that point.
At ABC Fire & Burglar Alarm, we help commercial customers throughout the New Orleans area keep their alarm systems, users, and monitoring information current so the system continues to work the way the business expects.
False Alarms Are Not Always Equipment Failures
New Orleans’ alarm ordinance recognizes that false alarms can result from human error as well as mechanical or electronic problems. For a business, that means reducing false alarms involves looking at how the system is being used along with the condition of the equipment.
Employees who are authorized to operate the alarm should understand how to arm and disarm it properly. This becomes particularly important when staffing changes, new employees begin opening or closing the property, or different people take responsibility for the building after hours. In fact, the city ordinance specifically requires alarm users to instruct authorized personnel on proper system operation.
Contact information deserves the same attention. If managers change positions, phone numbers are updated, or responsibility for the property shifts to someone else, outdated information can make it harder for the monitoring station to reach the appropriate person when an alarm occurs.
ABC customers can update their emergency contact information when those details change instead of leaving an old contact list attached to the account.
If your business has experienced a false alarm or you are unsure whether your system information is current, call ABC Fire & Burglar Alarm at 504-889-9795 or request a commercial security consultation.
How Alarm Verification Fits Into the Process
New Orleans requires alarm monitoring companies to maintain a verification process for most alarm signals before requesting police dispatch. Panic and holdup alarms are treated differently under the ordinance.
Verification does not follow one identical sequence for every alarm. Depending on the system and signal, it may involve attempts to contact the alarm site or an authorized user, video verification, independent confirmation from someone at or near the property, or another approved method.
That makes current contact information especially important. ABC’s monitoring station has to be able to reach the people designated on the account, and those contacts need to know how to respond when they receive a call about an alarm.
The ordinance also allows a dispatch request that is canceled before officers arrive to avoid being counted as a false alarm for enforcement purposes. That gives businesses another reason to make sure the people responsible for the system understand what to do when an accidental activation occurs.
Pay Attention After the First False Alarm
The first false alarm does not carry a fine, but it gives the business an opportunity to find out what caused the activation before it becomes a recurring problem.
Sometimes the issue may involve how the system is being used, while other situations may point to equipment that needs service or changes to the property that affect the original setup. If business hours, entrances, staffing, or daily procedures have changed since the alarm was installed, those changes are worth considering when the system is checked.
For businesses with older equipment, we can also evaluate the commercial alarm system already in place. ABC can take over many existing systems, determine which components can continue to be used, and recommend an update when the current equipment or setup no longer fits the operation.
Addressing the cause after an early false alarm is far better than allowing the same problem to continue until fines begin to accumulate.
Keep the System Current as the Business Changes
Commercial alarm systems are installed around a particular property and the way that business operates at the time. As employees, schedules, entrances, or procedures change, the way the system is used can change with them.
That does not always require new equipment. Sometimes the more important update is making sure the right employees know how to use the alarm, old users are removed, emergency contacts are accurate, and any equipment that is not operating correctly receives attention.
ABC Fire & Burglar Alarm has served Greater New Orleans businesses for more than 20 years. Our team can look at the system already protecting your property and help determine whether the equipment, account information, and day-to-day use still fit the business.
Know Which Rules Apply to Your Location
The Four Strikes policy and fine schedule discussed here apply specifically to alarm systems in Orleans Parish. Businesses in Metairie, Kenner, Slidell, Covington, Gretna, Chalmette, Hammond, and other communities may be subject to different local registration and false-alarm requirements.
Wherever your business is located, keeping the system properly maintained and making sure authorized users and monitoring contacts remain current can reduce avoidable problems when an alarm occurs.
If you want to review the commercial alarm system already protecting your business, call ABC Fire & Burglar Alarm at 504-889-9795 or request a commercial security consultation.
