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Fire department cites repeat false alarms; board to draft short‑term rental registry and alarm ordinance
Summary
Fire department representative Greg Lucas said many repeat automatic fire‑alarm calls come from short‑term rental or absentee properties; the board directed staff to draft an alarm ordinance with escalating fines and a short‑term‑rental registry requiring a local point of contact.
Greg Lucas of the Jamaica fire department told the board that repeated automatic alarm calls are a frequent operational burden and that many originate at short‑term rentals or absentee properties. “The majority of them do turn out to be at short term rentals,” he said, and the department described occasions where crews have had to force entry when alarms could not be silenced remotely.
Board members discussed two linked policy tools: a fire‑alarm ordinance to impose escalating fines for repeated false or unnecessary alarms and a short‑term‑rental (STR) registry requiring owners to provide a local contact who can respond quickly. The chair framed the STR registry as a low‑burden measure that could encourage proper maintenance and provide the fire department with a named point of contact during alarms.
The board also discussed whether a broader 'second‑home' ordinance would better capture absentee homeowners who are not strictly STR operators; members noted the alarm ordinance would apply universally. The board asked staff to draft both ordinances with an emphasis on behavior change (warnings for first offenses; fines only after repeated incidents) and to include provisions that waive fines if property owners promptly arrange a fire‑safety inspection or repairs.
