NWCH fined for 17 false alarms

Newark Fire Chief James J. Colacino has notified Newark Wayne Community Hospital officials that they are being fined $1200 for having 17 avoidable "false" alarms during 1997.

Colacino stated that in 1996, the Newark Fire Department responded to the hospital for 13 avoidable alarms; he did not fine the hospital.

The Chief wrote to the director of geriatric and support services and to the president of the board last April advising them of the problem. Colacino stated that some of the avoidable alarms were burnt popcorn and faulty smoke detectors. The main cause is fire drills being conducted by untrained personnel.

The Chief also warned the hospital that under the alarm ordinance for the Village of Newark, he has the right to disconnect the fire alarm from the municipal system. The Chief stated that there will always be an interior fire alarm within the hospital, but if disconnected, no alarm will be sent directly to the firehouse. Colacino stated that because of the high number of false alarms at the hospital, the number of firefighters responding to these calls is decreasing.

"It's an unfortunate situation, but it's like the boy who cried wolf. The firefighters are often assuming it is just another false alarm." The Chief fears that if there is a real fire, there may be a delay in response time.

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