ADAMS TWP — Supervisors raised the alarm Monday, Nov. 10, about a growing number of false alarms diverting the attention and resources of the township’s two volunteer fire departments.

“We have way too many false alarms in our township,” Supervisors Chairman Russell Ford said. “When the alarm goes off, you have to go, but there are excessive false alarms for no apparent reason in this township.”

According to Talo Capuzzi, chief of the Adams Area Fire District, false alarms made up 10 of the 40 calls the district responded to in October. Similar statistics for the Callery Volunteer Fire Department, the other department that covers Adams Township, were not immediately available.

“Six of them were at the same residence and seven of them were all at Adams Pointe,” Capuzzi said.

In total, the district has responded to 84 “system or detector malfunction” calls since the start of 2025, according to statistics provided by Capuzzi. Of those, 50 were caused by an alarm system malfunction, 12 were caused by a false smoke detector activation, four were caused by a false carbon monoxide detector activation, two were caused by a false sprinkler activation and 16 were caused by other system errors.

Twenty-eight of the 84 false alarms, exactly 1 in 3, took place at addresses along Adams Pointe Boulevard, which includes the Pointe at Adams Ridge apartment complex.

“About $220 to $250 is what it costs to take a fire truck down the road when 911 dispatches us and that’s per vehicle. We may get two out or we may get four out,” Capuzzi said.

Adams Area Fire District maintains the right to issue fines to residents and businesses who trigger three or more false alarms. A third false alarm call to the same address would be assessed a fine of $200, while a fourth false alarm would cost $300, and five or more false alarms would cost $500.

“You get two (false alarms) free,” Capuzzi said. “After that, we can start assessing a fine.”

However, the department never actually charges residents or businesses, even when they are known to have well over the maximum “free” false alarms. Capuzzi said this is because the township’s current ordinance regarding false alarms is vague on how he is even supposed to enforce the fine or who has the responsibility of doing so.

“How do I collect that fine if they decide not to pay?” Capuzzi said. “Do I have to go to the magistrate? Do I have to go somewhere else? (The ordinance) just left it up to police, fire or EMS to levy whatever they thought was appropriate.”

Ford concurred with Capuzzi and said he was willing to work with him and the township’s other emergency agencies to rewrite the false alarm ordinance.

“All I know is that the ordinance is old and needs to be cleaned up,” Ford said. “It needs to be looked at and revisited, and then there needs to be a better process to enforce it, whether it’s enforced through the fire company, with our code enforcement or police. But it’s costing our taxpayers money.”