Ottawa businesses and homes with fire and security alarm problems will start paying for fire department and police responses. A new ordinance says after the third false alarm in less than a year, the city will issue a fine. That’ll be $75 for the fourth, $100 for the fifth, and so on up to $750 if the false alarms keep going on.
The ordinance says the city will take into account weather, power outages, and other circumstances beyond anyone’s control when deciding whether an incident is a false alarm.