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Nov 17, 2009 9:27 pm US/Eastern
McKees Rocks Firefighters Fed Up With False Alarms
MCKEES ROCKS (KDKA) ―
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Documents show more than 300 false alarm calls to Hays Manor public housing complex in a three-year period.
KDKA
Firefighters in McKees Rocks are getting fed up with false alarms at a housing complex.
Documents show more than 300 false alarm calls to Hays Manor public housing complex in a three-year period.
Nearly one-third of all fire calls in McKees Rocks end up at the 130-unit complex.
Verdeen Gary has lived in Hays Manor for nearly 30 years. She's heard so many false alarms she now ignores the fire alarm when it goes off.
"It could be tragic at some point. Yes it could be," she said.
The fire department answers every call, although somewhat reluctantly.
"Seven o'clock on the Fourth of July, everybody's in bed, I'm standing in front of building six and seven last year. Holidays – Easter, Christmas," McKees Rocks Fire Chief Nick Radoycis said. "It's becomes so frustrating you wanna throw everything up in the air and say, 'I quit I don't wanna do this anymore.'"
The volunteer fire chief blames the problem on the Allegheny County Housing Authority. He says the smoke and heat detectors in the units are too old and too sensitive. They are set off by steam or a little smoke from a poorly-cooked dinner.
They go off so often folks barely notice.
"It's like the little boy who cried wolf," Radoycis said.
He says the county has ignored the problem and ignored repeated requests for meetings, forcing McKees Rocks to fine the housing authority for the expense of responding to all these fires, money they refuse to pay.
Radoycis: "They've ignored the letters that I've sent and as far as I know at this point they've ignored the mayor and everybody else who's been involved in this."
Griffin: "Why?"
Radoycis: "I have no idea. They just don't want to deal with the problem."
The county says they define false alarms differently than the fire department and say the department's numbers are greatly inflated. They promise the problem is being addressed.
"We don't like to see any false alarms come through. However, we do think we've taken steps to alleviate any issue," John Joyce from the housing authority said. "We think that the numbers have gone down drastically in the last couple of months."
The housing authority says it has placed heat detectors on the first and second floors, smoke detectors on the third and won't pay any fines.
Griffin: "Do you have intention of paying, sir?"
Joyce: "No."
Meantime, firefighters are concerned that if a real fire broke out at the complex, residents will ignore it.
"All we need is to do is lose a life or two down there because somebody didn't answer one of these false alarms that they thought was a false alarm," McKees Rocks Mayor Jack Muhr said.
The county has had a similar problem at its housing complex in Rankin. Joyce says it's really the three-story walk-up buildings that give them a lot of trouble.
McKees Rocks officials say they will sue the county for the fines – about $9,000 – if they have to.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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