BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL APPROVES REVISED RULES FOR FALSE FIRE ALARMS

  

Updates to rules on false fire alarms in the City of Brenham were approved today (Thursday) by the Brenham City Council.

The adjustments to the city’s ordinance raise the fee charged to property owners who have repeat false fire alarms and lower the amount of false alarms allowed before the fees start. 

The new fee structure reduces the amount of “free” false alarms from 12 to 3 within a calendar year.  It also creates a sliding scale for fees; whereas before all false alarms beyond the number allowed cost $30, they will now cost $50 for the fourth through sixth false alarms, $75 for the seventh through ninth, and $100 for all false alarms after that.

Prior to approval, the council brought up the number of false alarms the fire department responds to at the Brenham State Supported Living Center (BSSLC).  Fire Chief Roger Williams said he is attempting to figure out how to decrease the department’s call volume while still maintaining the safety needed at the BSSLC campus.

Williams said it is a complicated matter as the city has to deal with both state and federal regulations, but he will continue to investigate and see what can be improved.

Fire Marshal Steven Loving stated during a council workshop on the topic on November 17^th that the city would not bill property owners in instances where the alarm system performed correctly but still sent out a false alarm, such as when cooking.

The ordinance changes include exceptions for false alarms, such as:

• Alarms caused by actions of a communications service provider
• Alarms caused by power outage of more than 4 hours, severe weather, or other natural disaster
• Alarms activated after the fire alarm business has, in good faith, provided advanced notice to the 911 dispatch center that the fire alarm system would be undergoing installation or modifications and maintenance that could trigger a false alarm signal.
• Multiple fire alarms within a 24-hour period that could be considered as one alarm with resulting corrective action being taken by the owner or alarm system service provider.

Fire Marshal Steven Loving stated during a council workshop on the topic on November 17^th that the city would not bill property owners in instances where the alarm system performed correctly but still sent out a false alarm, such as when cooking.

In similar action, the council approved amending the section of city ordinance pertaining to offenses and miscellaneous provisions.  The adjustments move wording on fire alarms from this section to fire protection and prevention.  They also remove old language that no longer applies to the city’s current policies and procedures.

Also at today’s meeting, the council:

• Recognized Ben Lewis' sixth grade class at Brenham Middle School for its "The American Experience" project to tell and publish the stories of veterans, immigrants and residents over the age of 60.
• Held executive session discussion regarding Aviators Plus, LLC v. City of Brenham, Texas; Cause No. 37896, 21^st Judicial District Court, Washington County; and legal issues concerning the city’s raw water intake structure at Lake Somerville and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• Accepted a bid for the lease of 46 acres of land at the Brenham Municipal Airport.  The lease is located at the north end of the runway and will be for hay production and/or livestock grazing.  The bid went to Jay Schroeder for $38 per acre, or $1,748 annually.  The lease is for a one-year term and will automatically renew annually for a term of one year.  The original term and all renewals will not exceed five years.
• Held a public hearing and approved an amendment to the State Plan of Operation between the city and the State of Texas related to the Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) program.  Administered by DPS, the program allows police departments to apply to receive surplus military equipment from the federal government.  The amendment allows the city to continue participating in the program and using equipment previously received, including a Mine Resistant Ambush Protection (MRAP) vehicle for the Brenham Police Department.
• Approved the release of gas pipeline easements affecting the Brenham Market Square development property.  The easements were for gas services that were for houses located on the Market Square property, but the houses no longer exist and the gas services have been abandoned.
• Approved recommendations for appointments and reappointments to various city boards and commissions.  Each of the approved appointments can be seen in the agenda packet below, with one addition: Courtney Mason on the Brenham Police Citizen Advisory Board.