False Alarm Management: Public Safety Challenges and Solutions

The vast majority of calls from security and fire alarm systems are false. The Urban Institute estimated that 90–99% of calls from security systems and panic alarms aren’t genuine. 

The truth is false alarms divert and drain public safety resources. Unfortunately, as security and alarm systems increase in the U.S., so will the demand on law enforcement, firefighters and emergency services.

With security systems becoming more advanced and accessible, a growing number of citizens are protecting their property. Between 2024 and 2028, the U.S. home security market is projected to increase 43% – from $6.9 to $9.9 billion. Unsurprisingly, commercial security systems are also on the rise.

Most false alarms come from security systems (i.e. burglar alarms) and smoke detectors. In 2018 alone, U.S. fire departments responded to 2.9 million false alarms. And every time, they had to spend agency resources to send fire trucks and firefighters to the scene.

False alarms are commonly caused by human error, unintentional calls, system malfunctions, old or faulty equipment, malicious calls, lack of maintenance and more. But regardless of the cause, false alarms are problematic for first responders. 

Public safety leaders understand this challenge, and the necessity for false alarm management, better than anyone. With rising numbers of residential and commercial security systems, your agency can’t afford to waste valuable resources on more false alarms. Keep reading to learn about the challenges and solutions for false alarm management.

False Alarm Management Challenges

In The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the villagers eventually stopped listening to the boy. When he was actually in danger, no one came to help. 

High rates of false alarms have impacted response rates in different cities. Although protocol varies, the ability to validate an alarm before sending units helps public safety agencies allocate their resources wisely.

Resource Drain

False alarms cost time, effort and money, diverting first responders from genuine emergencies. When units respond to false alarms, it can delay response times to other calls. Each minute spent on a false alarm is a minute lost for potential life-saving interventions elsewhere, potentially increasing the severity of real incidents.

False Alarm Costs

There are many estimates on false alarm costs. Many articles online cite the same statistic: there are over 36 million false alarms every year, accounting for an annual cost of $1.8 billion. 

While this stat shows the cost of false alarms, it’s over 20 years old, referencing 2002 data from a COPS report on false burglar alarms. Today, the number of annual alarm calls and the cost of false alarms is surely much higher.

A single false alarm response can cost a fire department up to $500 (or more) and law enforcement $100+. When multiplied by the number of false alarms every year in your jurisdiction, it becomes a financial burden for public safety.

• Seattle PD received 13k residential and commercial alarm calls in 2023 and 96% of them were false.
• Los Angeles PD received over 65k alarm-related calls in 2023.
• Pittsburgh PD received more than 9k calls related to burglar alarms in 2023.

While these cities may be bigger than your city or county, it highlights the financial burden of false alarms. These expenses extend beyond staffing costs to wear and tear on equipment, vehicle maintenance, increasing fuel costs and overtime pay. How much does your agency spend annually on false alarms?

Many cities and counties charge fees to recoup the costs of false alarm responses. Others implement false alarm reduction programs. With the right false alarm management solution, your agency can reduce false alarms and collect fines more effectively.

Operational Fatigue

Although this statistic varies from city to city, roughly 10–25% of police calls are related to security alarms. If one or two of every 10 calls is a false alarm, it can wear on first responders over time, creating fatigue. This affects their physical readiness and can lead to decreased vigilance and preparedness, potentially compromising their response to actual emergencies.

False Alarm Management Solutions

With residential and commercial security systems on the rise, public safety agencies need a way to reduce the number of false alarms and recoup costs. That’s where false alarm management solutions come into play.

By reducing the frequency of false alarms, agencies can better allocate resources and prepare responders for genuine crises. With the right false alarm management system, your agency can process and track false alarms more effectively – including sending bills and collecting payments.

CentralSquare’s CryWolf 

CentralSquare’s CryWolf is a false alarm management system used by hundreds of jurisdictions across North America. When an increasing number of false alarms drains public safety resources, CryWolf leads to fewer false alarms, higher collection rates and improved compliance.

With today’s recruiting and retention challenges, your agency may not have the capacity to manage a new alarm program. That’s not a problem. With CryWolf, managing your alarm program becomes our responsibility. 

Our comprehensive solution manages the registration and renewal of alarm systems, tracks and processes false alarms, collects fees and fines, and processes appeals. We serve as your partner in reducing false alarms while maximizing cost recovery efforts.

Key Benefits for Public Safety Agencies

False alarm management solutions come with many benefits. They allow you to optimize operations and allocate resources to genuine emergencies, instead of wasting as much time and money on false alarms. But CentralSquare stands out from other industry solutions.

CentralSquare manages your alarm ordinance, so you can focus on what matters most – serving your communities. Here are some of CryWolf’s key benefits:

• Reduce False Alarms: Reduce false alarms in your jurisdiction by more than 80%.

• Process Incidents Faster: Process up to 250 alarm violations in 40 minutes.

• Improve Compliance: Increase permits within your jurisdiction by as much as 50%.
• Increase Collections: Boost your collection rate to 85% or higher and start recouping your false alarm expenses.

These are real-life benefits our customers have experienced. Your results could be more or less than the stats above, but one thing is sure – false alarm management will be easier and more effective with CentralSquare. 

Schedule a discovery call today to learn how CryWolf can help your agency save time, money, and resources with false alarm management.