Homepage • Contact Us • Site Map
• 
• 
False Alarm Reduction Program
(Password Required)
The Alachua County Sheriff's Office and the Gainesville Police Department are requested to respond to more than 20,000 false alarms each year. Alarm legislation was adopted because of concerns over law enforcement, fire response, and citizen safety and to eliminate the misuse of their resources. Unfounded alarm calls reduce the effectiveness of both agencies and undermine our ability to respond to more critical calls.
The False Alarm Reduction Unit (FARU) was established for the purpose of regulating and reducing the number of false alarms within the City of Gainesville and the unincorporated area of Alachua County. This office administers all ordinances from one central office housed in the Combined Communications Center which is located next to the Sheriff's Office main building on Hawthorne Rd.
False Alarm Reduction School
How would you like to save up to $400.00 in just 2 hours? If you would, the Gainesville Police and Alachua County Sheriff’s office have an offer for you! We invite you to attend the Burglar & Fire Alarm Reduction School scheduled for the 3rd Thursday of every month. Find out how to register for the next Alarm Reduction School. City and County residents please attend.
Alarm Ordinances
City of Gainesville
Alachua County
Reducing False Alarms
Who is to blame for false alarms?
The focus and blame for the false alarm problem in the trade press has jumped from one professional, or one link in the chain, to another. Originally, the blame was focused almost solely on the end-user. Most seminars and articles from that time expressed the idea that "end-users had better learn to use those security systems and cut down on those false alarms. It's not a manufacturer problem, it's not a dealer problem, it's an end-user problem."
As the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) focused its efforts increasingly on licensing, the emphasis and blame shifted to the dealer. Dealers weren't installing the systems properly and they weren't training the end-user on how to use them adequately. It then became a dealer problem.
More recently, the emphasis and spotlight is shifting to the manufacturer. A column in the May 1997 issue of SDM Magazine recommends an industry approval requirement for control panels, a recommendation intended specifically to address false alarm reduction. The clear implication is that it's now up to the manufacturers to provide the answers and solutions to the false alarm problem.
In reality, no single entity in the community has the ability alone to solve the false alarm problem or, in fact, to provide true security protection.