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Commission hears repeated false alarms from nearby area; staff asks whether mutual‑aid responses can be charged
Summary
Long Beach staff told commissioners they are repeatedly paged as mutual aid to false alarms in a neighboring area (transcript: "Doom Beach"), and said Michigan Shores has approved charging for those calls; staff asked town administration whether Long Beach can likewise charge when it responds.
Staff told the Long Beach Fire Commission on June 18 that the department has been repeatedly called as mutual aid to a nearby commercial area that generates frequent false alarms, causing late‑night responses and community concern.
The representative said Michigan Shores "has put an ordinance" and is beginning to charge for those calls. The department is exploring whether Long Beach can similarly charge for responses when Michigan Shores is unavailable or when Long Beach becomes the first‑due unit. "We believe we're in the right to charge for these calls as they become more and more of a nuisance," the representative said, but added the town administrator has expressed some reluctance and staff are seeking legal/administrative clarification.
Staff explained the mutual‑aid process and said responses typically provide manpower and sometimes pumping support rather than dropping the entire station. Commissioners and staff emphasized they will coordinate council‑to‑council on interjurisdictional contracts and noted Long Beach has not held a false‑alarm contract with the neighboring jurisdiction in recent years.
No formal vote or ordinance was proposed at the meeting; staff said they will follow up with the town administrator and report back to the commission.
