Limerick fire marshal implements program to curb false alarms
LIMERICK >> It’s 3 o’clock in the morning, middle of winter. A volunteer firefighter with Linfield Fire Company of Limerick Township is fast asleep when he is awakened suddenly by his pager for a fire alarm in a commercial establishment in the township.
After taking leave of his warm bed, the firemen and his fellow firefighters rush to the scene only to discover that there is no fire; it’s a false alarm.
Three days later, the fire alarm goes off again at the same establishment. And, three weeks later: same scenario.
This is what the volunteers of Linfield and Limerick Fire companies endured before Gregory Breyer was appointed director of emergency services for Limerick Township in 2013.
Breyer, the first to hold this position in the township, said: “There wasn’t a fire inspection program in place when I came on board.”
He also holds the titles of fire marshal and director of emergency management.
Since the fire inspection program was implemented, Breyer, along with his other township assistants, have reduced nuisance alarms by 15 to 20 percent.
“Until we got a handle on the situation, nuisance calls had been taking a big toll on the volunteer fire force,” Breyer said.
An incident involving the volunteers of Linfield Fire Company was a good example of this.
A local business had a long history with nuisance alarms. Breyer and his assistants spoke with the ownership.
“We explained to them that the volunteer firefighters were responding to your establishment so frequently that the calls were accounting for 15 percent of the fire company’s total call volume. What we would like to do is rectify the situation. They were very cooperative. And, in fact, the next time we checked, the business’s track record showed minimal calls,” explained Breyer.
Breyer and his team work with retail, commercial establishments
and residences to give advice, recommendations, and suggestions about the appropriate life safety devices to buy for the property, how many should the property have, where they should be placed, and how often the devices should be maintained.
“I have a motto,” said Breyer: “Fight The Fire Before It Starts.”
Whether nuisance alarms occur in the daytime or nighttime, Breyer or one of his assistants in addition to the fire company respond.
“We go to investigate the nature of the alarm activation. Once we determine the emergency is manageable, we let the volunteer fire company return to quarters. It used to be the volunteer fire chief’s responsibility to perform the duties of fire marshal as well as handling his firefighting responsibilities. What we do is document the location, how was it handled, and what were the recommendations to the property owner,” Breyer said.