Fed up and frustrated, a Yellowknife renter is sounding off about frequent false fire alarms she says bog down the citySA国际影视传媒檚 fire department while putting her family and fellow tenants at risk.

Kimberley Paul, a Crestview Manor resident of four years who lives at the 52 Avenue apartment complex with her 13-year-old son, says sheSA国际影视传媒檚 worried commonplace false alarms --often referred to as SA国际影视传媒渕alicious pullsSA国际影视传媒� by firefighters - will lead to a SA国际影视传媒渂oy who cried wolfSA国际影视传媒� effect.

SA国际影视传媒淭he problem is nobody runs out of the building because they all know itSA国际影视传媒檚 a false alarm,SA国际影视传媒� said Paul in a recent interview with Yellowknifer.

SA国际影视传媒淲hat happens the next time if itSA国际影视传媒檚 not a false alarm?SA国际影视传媒�

Paul isnSA国际影视传媒檛 the only Crestview resident asking that question.

SA国际影视传媒淣ot one person ran out of the building while the alarm was blaring,SA国际影视传媒� an exasperated tenant wrote on a popular community Facebook page following an early morning false alarm last week.

SA国际影视传媒淒id we not have enough tragic events this past (year)? Time to up the consequences for (people) pulling false alarms!,SA国际影视传媒� stated the online commentator.

After two false alarm responses to the same premise or building, property owners are fined $2,500 for each SA国际影视传媒渟ubsequent response to a false alarm,SA国际影视传媒� within the the calendar year, according to the City of Yellowknife.

Last Friday, according to Paul, the Yellowknife Fire Division (YKFD) responded to two false alarms at Crestview Manor in less than 90 minutes. Each time crews respond to an alarm, the buildingSA国际影视传媒檚 property representative is required to attend the scene.

The perpetrators pulling the alarms arenSA国际影视传媒檛 Crestview tenants themselves, said Paul, but rather friends of renters. She said alcohol-fueled spats between tenants and their friends often result in angry guests activating the alarm.

The City of Yellowknife has SA国际影视传媒渞ecognized the issue with false alarms,SA国际影视传媒� according to YKFD deputy fire chief Gerda Groothuizen.

SA国际影视传媒淪ome clientele in buildings are responsible for the malicious alarms by allowing friends and acquaintances into their buildings. The friends/acquaintances are responsible for most of the malicious alarms,SA国际影视传媒� wrote Groothuizen in an email, noting the problem isn't widespread among other property owners. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 always the same buildings that we respond to,SA国际影视传媒� she stated.

'Minutes count'

When an alarm is pulled and there is no emergency -- a criminal offence -- Groothuizen said the fire department is SA国际影视传媒渄elayed in responding to any true emergency.SA国际影视传媒�

Groothuizen, echoing PaulSA国际影视传媒檚 concerns, added recurring false alarms could cause residents to ignore real emergencies, putting themselves at risk while delaying firefighters, whose first priority is SA国际影视传媒済etting everyone out of the building.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚n the case of a medical emergency SA国际影视传媒� minutes count,SA国际影视传媒� she wrote. SA国际影视传媒淎 20-minute delay may be the difference between life and death.SA国际影视传媒�

The city began billing for false alarms -- accidental, malicious and mechanical -- in 2008. Last May, the third-response fine fee was upped to $2,500 as the SA国际影视传媒渘umber of false alarms was not dropping,SA国际影视传媒� but rising, according to Groothuizen.

YKFD responded to 171 false alarms in 2017, 33 per cent of which were malicious -- 24 per cent were accidental. From January to November 2018, that number rose to 210. The amount of malicious alarms recorded last year is not yet available.

Groothuizen said the fire department is working with property representatives of hotspots for false alarms - who she said are SA国际影视传媒渧ery frustratedSA国际影视传媒� as well - to curb the number of malicious pulls.

If a perpetrator is caught, wrote Groothuizen, they will be fined. But in most cases, she stated, itSA国际影视传媒檚 difficult to determine who pulled an alarm. Some property representatives, stated Groothuizen, have beefed up security as a response, increasing patrols and adding electronic covers to pull stations, along with cameras.

But Kimberley Paul says cameras installed at Crestview are not working. She said sheSA国际影视传媒檚 requested working cameras in the building as a easy solution to determining those responsible for the malicious alarms but that her pleas to the property owner, Northview Apartments REIT, have gone unanswered.

SA国际影视传媒淭hey say, SA国际影视传媒榳eSA国际影视传媒檒l look into it.SA国际影视传媒� But nothing ever happens,SA国际影视传媒� said Paul, who questioned why Northview wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 invest in functioning cameras when being repeatedly hit with costly fines.

After repeated attempts, Yellowknifer was unable to reach Northview's head office for comment but an employee who asked not to be named said cameras at Northview-owned properties often end up damaged and broken.

Housing First backs cameras

The Yellowknife WomenSA国际影视传媒檚 Society-run Housing First program, a initiative to get homeless people off the street and into housing, saw participants move into Crestview Manor in 2016. The program houses clients in four buildings across town.

Lauren Gostick, team lead for Housing First, said she believes there are no functioning cameras in any of the buildings that house program participants.

The presence of working cameras in those buildings, including Crestview, could be SA国际影视传媒渞eally beneficial for everyone involved,SA国际影视传媒� said Gostick. Along with identifying those causing the false alarms, cameras could also deter other unwanted behaviour, including violence and trespassing, she said.

A number of devastating fires shook Yellowknife last year, including the massive Rockhill blaze that displaced dozens of families, and the fatal house fire that claimed the life of Andrew Degoborski three days after Christmas.