Click the play button on the video window to the right to see the storySURPRISE, AZ -- Surprise and El Mirage firefighters have something in common, other than being neighbors in the West Valley.
Firefighters from both departments are finding themselves on more and more false smoke alarm calls, and most are in foreclosed homes.
"Neighbors can hear the alarm so they call us, but when we get up to the home, it's vacant, locked up and we're unable to access them," said Kevin Pool, assistant chief with the Surprise Fire Department.
Pool said unless firefighters see smoke, they can't break into the home and turn it off. Instead they have to find the owner first to get permission. That's where the man hours come in.
"We were handing the calls to our fire investigators to see if we could chase down the property owner, or realty company," said Pool. "But that became almost impossible with all the out of state bank-owned properties."
It was also taking firefighters away from more needed calls.
So now firefighters are having to turn away and neighbors have to listen to the alarm until the battery dies, which can take days.
Surprise reported 149 false alarm calls in the past year, while El Mirage reported nearly four times that with 570 false alarm calls from October 2008 to June 2009. Many are in vacant homes.
"It's frustrating for us and frustrating for neighbors because we can't do anything," Pool said. "It's also tying up fire crews. If we're tied up checking out a false smoke alarm call it impacts service to other calls."
As annoying as it may be, Pool said neighbors should still call in when they hear a smoke alarm. They'd rather check out a false call, than be called too late to an actual emergency.
