Warren wants to empower its fire department to go beyond issuing letters of warnings to people who violate town safety ordinances, providing the department with the ability to issue civil fines.
Warren Volunteer Fire Department, town constable and public safety officer Jeff Campbell came before the select board on January 7 to discuss the issue. Campbell said that the three ordinances that need more enforcement teeth are the town’s wood fuel ordinance, the E911 ordinance and the fire alarm ordinance.
“These three ordinances involve the fire department and the fire department can’t write violations. We can send letters but those are empty threats. The department would like the authority to issue violations,” Campbell told the board.
SIMILAR FEE
Board members discussed the history and current structure of the ordinances and whether they include fee structures, which they do. Fire alarm violations can result in a fee of $500, while woodburning stove/fireplace violations can yield a similar fee. Street naming and E911 fees, per a 1995 ordinance, can result in a fee of $10 per day.
Board member Camilla Behn asked for specifics about how the enforcement and fining process would be managed, and also asked where the fine fees would go. Board member Devin Klein Corrigan asked if adding this authority for the fire department would require amending the ordinances.
Board chair Luke Youmell suggested the town reach out to the Vermont League of Cities and Towns for guidance and an understanding of whether the three ordinances would need to be amended, or what process will be needed to empower the fire department to issue notices of violation that include fines.
FAULTY ALARM
The board asked Campbell about the need, and he explained that this issue has come up again after the fire department responded to a faulty fire alarm three times in three weeks.
“They say they’re getting it fixed each time – but then it happens again. We’ll see what happens next week,” he said.
In terms of E911 address, Campbell noted that having those numbers visible greatly improves the fire department and emergency response times and effectiveness. He said that some businesses, including local lumber company rkMiles, would not deliver to properties without proper E911 addresses.
The board also discussed its desire to use the possibility of fines as a means to get people to comply with town ordinances, rather than as a way to raise town revenue.
“We don’t generate revenue through violations,” Klein Corrigan said.
