Is your burglar alarm accredited

HAS YOUR BURGLAR ALARM ACCREDITED BY LAW?

Due to safety precautions it is mandatory that every alarm installed in your house is registered with FARS. Before the system is placed into service you must check for the following accreditation,

• NSI (National Security Inspectorate)

• NACOSS (National Approval Council for Security Systems)

• ICON (an approval scheme run by NSI)

• SSAIB (Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board)

Registration

A non-refundable $30.00 registration fee must be paid with each initial registration. A separate registration must be obtained for each alarm user and/or location. Registrations must be renewed on a biennial (2 year) basis at a cost of $10.00. Failure to renew when required will result in no “free” false alarms and the imposition of an additional $100 charge for every false alarm.

False alarm

The main reason for the burglar alarm to be accredited by the government is because of false alarms. Each year the Oakland Police Department receives more than 30,000 false alarms! On average, each response to alarms involves two police officers and takes up to thirty minutes-costing the City in excess of 1.4 million, annually. This is equal to 14 full-time police officers responding only to false alarms.

The burglar alarm ordinance

• Authorizes permit fees (waived for alarm users age 65 and older)

• Authorizes fines and penalties for defective or misused alarm systems

• Requires alarm companies to play a greater role in how customers use and maintain their alarm systems.

Paying for your permit

What ever type of alarm you use it should be accredited by the government. If you have an alarm system that is functional and is activated, the alarm ordinance requires you to obtain a valid alarm user permit. Please remember, if you do not have a permit and the Police Department is dispatched to your location for a false alarm, you will may be subjected to a $250 fine.