The Fire and Burglar Alarm Monitoring System
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The City of Park Ridge in conjunction with the North Suburban Emergency Communications Center, and Fox Valley Fire and Safety have implemented a new fire and police alarm monitoring system for the City. This new system replaces the outdated monitoring equipment that was installed and maintained by ADT with new state of the art monitoring equipment that has been installed and is maintained by Fox Valley. A major benefit of the new equipment is that it enables alarm signals to be sent via radio instead of phone lines. This feature eliminates the problems caused by outdated phone company equipment. Along with the change in monitoring systems, the City has enacted an ordinance mandating all required fire alarm systems to be monitored by the City's 911 emergency telephone service provider, the North Suburban Emergency Communications Center.
These changes have lead to some confusion among alarm users. The Park Ridge Fire Prevention Bureau has developed a list of frequently asked questions in order to clear up some of this confusion.
Why did the City decide to update the monitoring equipment?
The current equipment has been in service for well over thirty years and there was
considerable doubt about how much longer it would last. This system was also installed
before computers were in widespread use, and now there are many technology
enhancements, which expedite the alarm monitoring process to speed the dispatching of
emergency equipment in the event of an emergency.
Why did the City choose to use radios instead of phone lines?
The phone lines that carried signals between the alarm users and the City were dedicated
phone lines that transmitted voltages and not voice or data. This is very old technology
that is not well supported by modern phone companies. Very few phone company
technicians have the training to work on these lines. These lines were also very
susceptible to induced voltages-such as during a thunderstorm-and moisture problems.
Many alarm users spent weeks trying to resolve phone issues with their systems.
Why is Fox Valley supplying the equipment?
When the City made the decision to change equipment and convert to the new radio
technology, they sent out requests for proposals to the eight local vendors who deal with
this type of equipment. Fox Valley submitted the winning proposal.
What is the North Suburban Emergency Communications Center?
The NSECC is the 911 emergency telephone service provider for the City. The NSECC
provides fire and police dispatching for the City of Park Ridge and the City of Des
Plaines. They also provide police dispatching for the Village of Niles and the Village of
Morton Grove. They are located in Des Plaines' city hall. When you call 911, you are
speaking with a dispatcher from the NSECC.
My fire or police alarm system was connected to the 911 Center. What do I need to do?
You should have received a contract from Fox Valley for monitoring services. Simply
fill out the contract and return it to Fox Valley. If you have not received any information,
please contact the Park Ridge Fire Prevention Bureau at 847-318-5312.
Why am I paying a monitoring fee to Fox Valley if the 911 dispatchers are actually
monitoring the alarm?
Fox Valley supplies and maintains the equipment that enables the personnel at the 911
center to monitor your alarms. Part of the monitoring fee is to compensate Fox Valley
for the use of their equipment. Part of the monitoring fee is rebated to the city.
If I pay a fee to Fox Valley, can I stop paying fees to my current alarm company? Not entirely. You are required to maintain your alarm systems and have a service contract with a licensed fire alarm contractor. Fire alarm systems must be regularly inspected, tested and maintained. Your current alarm company provides these services. While another division of Fox Valley provides these services as well, you are not required to use them for the regular inspection, testing, and maintenance of your alarm. You may continue to use your current alarm company. However, if part of the fee you paid your alarm company included monitoring, you may want to speak with them about adjusting your bill.
Why did my previous alarm company charge me for monitoring if my system was
connected to the City?
As a customer service, many alarm companies take care of all aspects of the fire alarm.
The alarm company takes care of paying the monitoring fees as part of the overall
maintenance fee. If you prefer, you can have your fire alarm company take care of
paying the monitoring fee to Fox Valley. This way, you only have to deal with one
company and one bill.
I have a fire alarm system and I am currently monitored by the City. Do I need to install
a radio?
Yes. The only exception will be if, for technical reasons, a radio will not work in your
location.
I have a police or burglar alarm. Do I need to install a radio?
No. We encourage police and burglar alarm subscribers to convert to radio, but the City
is not requiring you to do so at this time. We feel that the situation with the phone lines
is only going to deteriorate.
My alarm system is currently monitored by the City. What is the charge for installing the
radio?
For a limited time, current subscribers on the City's alarm board can have the radio
installed for free.
Can I purchase a radio from another vendor?
No. The radios located throughout the City operate as a network. Each radio relies on
the radios around it to transmit signals. As radios are added or removed from the
network, the system must be rebalanced to provide optimal performance. Each radio
must be carefully monitored and sometimes adjusted to keep the network running
efficiently. A system runs most effectively when only one vendor oversees it.
Can I purchase the radio from Fox Valley?
No. As stated before, it may be necessary to adjust radios to maintain the network. We
also need to be able to upgrade equipment as new features and technology becomes
available. If an individual owned the radio unit, they would have the right to prohibit
other vendors from touching their property. We consulted with a number of authorities
before starting this project, and every one of them recommended using a single vendor
and maintaining ownership of the network.
Do other communities use these radios?
Yes. The largest network is in Naperville, and it has operated smoothly since 2001.
Other communities include Algonquin, Countryside, Northbrook, Hoffman Estates,
Lemont, Highland Park, Gurnee, Round Lake, McHenry, Woodridge, and Elmhurst.
Have there been any problems with the radios?
Yes, in some cases. A North Shore community in particular had problems with their
network. The problem, to a large extent, was caused because the municipality allowed
multiple vendors to install and maintain the radios that caused the network to operate
inefficiently leading to slowdowns in alarm signal transmissions.
I have a fire alarm system that is currently monitored by a private company. Do I have
to connect to the City?
Yes. During routine testing of fire alarms, the Fire Prevention Bureau has noticed a
considerable lag in the time between when an alarm is activated, and the private
companies call the 911 Center. Sometimes this lag has been more than 5 minutes. The
Fire Prevention Bureau has had several circumstances where alarms monitored by private
companies have been out of service for some time. In order to reduce response times and
maintain better oversight of fire alarms, the fire department recommended that the City
adopt an ordinance requiring fire alarms that are required by the fire prevention code be
directly connected to the City.
I have a fire alarm system in my home. Do I have to connect to the City?
No. Only fire alarms that are required by the fire code, such as in stores, schools,
apartments, offices and places of assembly are required to be directly connected to the
city.
I have a burglar alarm system in my office. Am I required to connect to the City?
No. Only fire alarm systems are affected by this ordinance.
The commercial building I own has a smoke detector connected to the security system. Am I required to connect to the City?
No. Only required fire alarm systems must be connected to the City. Your system is
essentially a security alarm, not a fire alarm system. A true fire alarm system will have
pull stations, horn strobes, and other features.
Our company policy requires our fire alarm be monitored by a private alarm company,
or our company has a proprietary fire alarm monitoring system. Are we required to
connect to the City?
Yes. You may keep your current alarm company if you wish, but you must also connect
to the City.
I am currently under contract with a fire alarm monitoring company. Am I required to
break my contract?
No. The Fire Prevention Bureau will require you to submit a copy of your contract for
review. Once the contract is expired, you will not be permitted to renew. At that time
you will have to connect to the City. Many monitoring companies will allow you to
break your contract if the municipality requires direct connect.
My private alarm company calls me before notifying the fire department to prevent false
alarms. Won't there be more false alarms if the city requires me to connect directly to
them?
Yes. However, the fire department prefers to respond to a false alarm rather than face the
possibility that a serious situation is not being reported. Very often the fire department is
able to assist the occupants with smoke removal or other types of clean-up. The fire
department will also complete a report of the incident noting any equipment involved.
Often tabulating these reports can lead to new fire prevention programs or highlight
potential problems.
Will I be billed if I have a false alarm?
The fire department starts billing after the fourth false alarm. The purpose for billing is
to encourage alarm users who have faulty alarms to repair or upgrade their systems.
Alarms caused by cooking, steam, inadvertently activating a pull station, or other
legitimate reasons are not counted. Billing may also be used to encourage alarm users
who habitually trip their fire alarms to change their practices. For example, constantly
burning popcorn in the microwave. After the third false alarm, the Fire Prevention
Bureau will visit the property and work with the occupants to resolve the problem to
prevent further accidental activations.
How long do I have to connect to the City?
You will be required to connect to the City within one year.
What is the charge for monitoring?
The monthly fee for radio monitoring is $25.00
The monthly fee for direct connect telephone monitoring is $28.00
The monthly rental fee for the radio is $46.00.
Most subscribers will pay $71.00 per month for radio monitoring.
Just for a comparison, the most common monthly charge for a phone line is $46.00,
though many alarm subscribers are paying much more. The average most municipalities
charge for alarm monitoring is $28.00. While alarm monitoring fees in Park Ridge were
formerly $10--$15 per month, we would have had to increase those fees to pay for the
new equipment.
Why does it cost more to monitor by telephone?
An additional amount was added to the direct connect fee to offset the extra costs
involved with dealing with the phone company.
How often will these rates be changed?
The current contract is good for five years. After that time, the fees will be renegotiated.