Ontario woman hit with $1,500 bill for false fire alarm

Questions over $1.5K charge for false fire alarm A Scarborough woman says she was shocked to get a $1,500 bill from the City of Toronto for having a nuisance false fire alarm.

An Ontario woman said firefighters came to her home last year to answer a fire call, but she said she didn’t know anything about it until she got a bill in the mail.

“I was told that on May 5th of 2022, the firetrucks were dispatched to my unit, and I know nothing about that," Earlyn Brown, of Scarborough, told CTV News Toronto.

To try and prevent false alarms in Toronto, the city has a malicious/nuisance false fire alarm policy where residents responsible for false alarms must pay $1,530 for each dispatch.

In Brown's case, she was told she would have to pay the charge. But she was given a $510 rebate since this was the first time it happened, so she owed $1,020 instead.

When Brown refused to pay the nuisance fire call charge, it was added to her tax bill.

“With regard to the invoice, I did not know they were here. I did not know that they came. I don't know why they would come," she said.

Brown said she had to pay a $92 fee to find out more information about the charge. An incident report revealed it appeared there was a security alarm malfunction.

“I was at work, and I can prove that, and as the incident report stated, there was nobody at the house at the time. They checked, and no alarm was sounding, so why should I have to pay this,” she said.

The security company told CTV News Toronto it called Brown three times, and when she didn't respond, it proceeded to send emergency services.

According to the City, a fire alarm is considered false if there is a mechanical failure, equipment malfunction, improper maintenance or installation, or negligent or intentional misuse.

If you get a false alarm charge, you are allowed to appeal and ask for a review of your case. CTV News Toronto reached out to the City on Brown's behalf, and her case was reviewed.

The charge was removed from her tax bill, which was great news for her.

“I am very excited and very happy because I could not have afforded that,” Brown said.

An alarm is not considered false if it's caused by severe weather, accidental damage or the possibility there's carbon monoxide.

Since the city started charging for false alarms, the number of false alarm calls has gone down dramatically.