FIFD Letter re: Your Fire Alarm System

April 2024
To: All Fishers Island Residents

Dear Neighbor:

There are numerous fire alarm systems in use throughout our community. That is a good thing. However, it has come to our attention that a problem sometimes exists with respect to these systems.

When a fire alarm is triggered, a signal is sent to a central station. That station then sends an alert of fire activating our Fire Department which then promptly responds. Of course, in the event of an obvious fire, the Department will take any and all necessary action to gain access to the premises and fight the fire. The problem arises when our responders arrive and there is no evidence of an emergency. Frankly, this is the most common occurrence.

In this case, the Firefighters are left in a dilemma. If there is no one home, and the homeowner has not provided for someone to respond to the scene with a key, they really have no choice but to cause damage by breaking a window or forcing open a door. No one wants to cause unnecessary damage to property, but, as we are sure you can imagine, the risk of leaving without making a thorough inspection is unacceptable, both from a personal safety and liability perspective.

Accordingly, this is to notify you that, if you have an alarm system in place, you must arrange for some responsible person to receive notice of the alarm and respond to the premises with a key. In the event this does not happen, within a reasonable amount of time, our Firefighters will have no choice but to make entry as best they can, of course taking steps to minimize any damage.

We appreciate your anticipated cooperation in this matter and thank you for your understanding.

Very truly yours,
Fishers Island Fire District and Fishers Island Fire Department