Alabama Town Considering Fines for Faulty Elevators

Building owners in Gulf Shores, Alabama, could soon face fines for false fire alarms and faulty elevators as Gulf Shores Fire Rescue is looking to crack down after seeing an increase in calls for elevator entrapments and false alarms, NBC15 News reports. Gulf Shores Fire Rescue responded to 331 false fire alarms and 120 elevator entrapments so far in 2024, officials reported. The purpose of the fines is to help improve safety and encourage building owners to be proactive with maintenance and repairs, reducing the time firefighters spend on these calls. If the changes are approved, building owners will be given three warnings. The fourth call for a false fire alarm would trigger a US$500 fine or a US$50 fine for elevator entrapments. Any additional calls after that would be a US$1,000 fine. There are some cases where no fine would be imposed, like if someone believes there is an emergency or if the alarm was activated by lightning.