TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL 
 
BYLAW NO. 658 
Amended by Bylaw No. 958 
 
A BYLAW TO RECOVER COSTS FOR FALSE ALARMS  
 
 
 
WHEREAS excessive numbers of false alarms are being permitted to occur by the 
owners or users of alarm systems; 
 
AND WHEREAS these false alarms require emergency responses from Police and Fire 
Departments, posing a threat to the safety of Police and Fire Department members and 
members of the public by creating unnecessary hazards and delaying the Police and 
Fire Department response to emergencies; 
 
AND WHEREAS Sections 8(3)(g) and (h) of the Community Charter provide that Council 
may, by bylaw, regulate, prohibit and impose requirements in relation to the health, 
safety or protection of persons or property and the protection and enhancement of the 
well-being of its community to prevent or minimize nuisances, disturbances and other 
objectionable situations; 
 
AND WHEREAS Section 8(8) of the Community Charter provides that Council may, by 
bylaw, (a) provide that persons may engage in a regulated activity only in accordance 
with the rules established by bylaw; (b) prohibit persons from doing things with their 
property; (c) require persons to do things with their property, to do things at their 
expense and to provide security for fulfilling a requirement;  
 
AND WHEREAS Section 196 of the Community Charter provides that Council may, by 
bylaw, impose fees to be paid by the owner or occupier of real property to which Police 
and Fire services are provided in response to a false alarm of an alarm system;  
 
AND WHEREAS Sections 258(1) and (2) of the Community Charter provide that Council 
may collect fees imposed for response to false alarms in the same manner and with the 
same remedies as property taxes and if the fees are due and payable by December 31 
and unpaid on that date, Council may deem it to be taxes in arrears; 
 
NOW THEREFORE the Council of the Town of View Royal in open meeting assembled 
enacts as follows: 
 
CITATION 
 
1. 
This Bylaw may be cited for all purposes as the “False Alarm Bylaw No. 658, 
2007”. 
 
 
 

False Alarm Bylaw No. 658, 2007 – consolidated to January 2017 
 
 
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INTERPRETATION 
 
2. 
Definitions in this bylaw are as follows: 
 
ALARM INCIDENT means the activation of an alarm system resulting in the direct or 
indirect reporting of the activation to the Police or Fire Departments.  
 
ALARM SYSTEM means either a fire alarm system or a security alarm system. 
 
CLERK means the Corporate Officer of the Town. 
 
CODE REQUIRED FIRE ALARM SYSTEM means a fire alarm system required by the 
British Columbia Building Code.  
 
EMERGENCY DISPATCH means Victoria Operational Communication Centre for 
security alarms and Langford Fire Dispatch for fire alarms. 
 
FALSE ALARM means the activation of an alarm system that results in a response from 
the Police or Fire Departments where a situation requiring such a response does not 
exist and includes a situation where: 
 
(a) the alarm system has malfunctioned for any reason, including, but not limited to, 
improper installation or maintenance; 
(b) the alarm system has been activated in error; 
(c) the alarm system has been activated by improper use; 
(d) the alarm system has been activated during testing; 
(e) there is no evidence of forced entry, fire, smoke or heat damage; or 
(f) the cause of the alarm cannot be determined.  
 
FIRE and FIRE DEPARTMENT mean the View Royal Fire Department. 
 
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM means a device or devices installed on or in any real property 
and that is designed, intended or used to issue an audible signal to advise persons of a 
fire emergency.  
 
FIRE CHIEF means the Fire Chief or their designate of the View Royal Fire Department. 
 
HOLD UP ALARM SYSTEM means a device or devices installed on or in any real 
property and that is designed, intended or used to indicate the occurrence of a hold up 
or robbery. 
 
MONITORING SERVICE means a person, partnership or company engaged in the 
business of monitoring alarm systems and reporting the occurrence of alarms to the 
Police and Fire Departments. 
 
NO ALARM STATUS means the designation of any real property as having had no false 
alarms. 
 
OFFICER IN CHARGE means the Officer in Charge or their designate of the West 
Shore RCMP. 

False Alarm Bylaw No. 658, 2007 – consolidated to January 2017 
 
 
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POLICE and POLICE DEPARTMENT mean the West Shore Royal Canadian Mounted 
Police (RCMP). 
 
PROPERTY REFERENCE means a person, persons or company employed to represent 
the owner or occupier of any real property.  
 
SECURITY ALARM SYSTEM means a device or devices installed on or in any real 
property and that is designed, intended or used for the detection of an unauthorized 
entry into a building, structure, facility or surrounding area; or for alerting others to the 
commission of an unlawful act, including a hold up alarm system; or both, and which 
emits a sound or transmits a message, or does both, but does not include a device 
which registers an alarm which is not audible, visible or perceptible outside the premises 
inside which it is installed or a device which is installed in a motor vehicle. 
 
SUPPLEMENTARY FIRE ALARM SYSTEM means a device or devices that are not 
required to be installed in a building by the British Columbia Building Code and includes, 
but is not limited to, a residential smoke alarm monitored through a security alarm panel 
installed in a single family residence.   
 
TOWN means the Town of View Royal. 
 
3. 
 
Unless the context otherwise requires, wording in the singular number or 
masculine gender may include the plural number or feminine gender, and the 
converse may also apply. 
 
 
SEVERABILITY AND HEADINGS 
 
4. (1) Any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this Bylaw, which is for 
any reason held to be invalid by the decision of any Court of competent 
jurisdiction, may be severed from the balance of this Bylaw without affecting the 
validity of the remaining portions of this Bylaw. 
 
4. (2) Section headings do not form part of this Bylaw. They are included for 
convenience only and must not be used in interpreting this Bylaw. 
 
4. (3) The schedule attached to this Bylaw forms part of this Bylaw. 
 
 
OWNER AND OCCUPIER RESPONSIBILITIES 
 
5.  
Every owner or occupier of real property is responsible for the proper use, 
installation, maintenance and operation of any alarm system installed on the real 
property which they own or occupy to ensure the prevention of false alarms. 
 
 

False Alarm Bylaw No. 658, 2007 – consolidated to January 2017 
 
 
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PROPERTY REFERENCE RESPONSIBILITIES 
 
6. 
The property references whose names are provided by the owner or occupier to 
the monitoring service must be: 
 
(a) Available to receive telephone calls from the monitoring service in the event 
of an alarm incident; 
(b) Able to attend at the address of the alarm incident within thirty (30) minutes of 
being requested to do so by the monitoring service;   
(c) Capable of affording the Police or Fire Department access to the premises 
where the alarm incident is located; and 
(d) Capable of operating the alarm system and able to safeguard the premises 
and take responsibility for the real property. 
 
 
MONITORING SERVICE RESPONSIBILITIES  
 
7. 
The monitoring service must immediately report every alarm incident from a fire 
alarm system or a hold up alarm system to emergency dispatch and must 
subsequently place a telephone call to the premises from which the fire alarm or 
hold up alarm was sent to verify whether the alarm is false or not. If the 
monitoring service confirms that the fire alarm or hold up alarm is a false alarm 
through the verification telephone call to the premises from which the alarm was 
sent, the monitoring service must immediately notify emergency dispatch.  
 
 
FEES 
 
8. 
The owner or occupier of real property to which the services of the Police or the 
Fire Department are provided in response to a false alarm will pay to the Town, 
the following fees: 
 
False Alarms 
8. (1) For the first false alarm there will be no fee charged as per the Fees and 
Charges Bylaw No. 958 and the Officer in Charge or Fire Chief may cause a 
notice to be sent to the owner and occupier of the property in which the alarm 
system is installed advising of the occurrence of the false alarm and of the 
consequences, which may arise if further false alarms occur. 
Bylaw No. 958, 2016 
 
8. (2) For the second false alarm in any twelve (12) month period from the date of the 
first false alarm, the fee is as per Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 958 and the 
Officer in Charge or Fire Chief may cause a notice to be sent to the owner and 
occupier of the property in which the alarm system is installed advising of the 
occurrence of the false alarm and of the consequences, which may arise if 
further false alarms occur. 
Bylaw No. 958, 2016 
 
8. (3) For the third and subsequent false alarms in any twelve (12) month period from 
the date of the first false alarm, the fee is as per Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 
958 

False Alarm Bylaw No. 658, 2007 – consolidated to January 2017 
 
 
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Bylaw No. 958, 2016  
 
Standby  
8. (4) When a property reference is unable to attend the real property at which a false 
alarm incident has occurred as directed in Section 6. (b), the owner or occupier 
of the real property will be required to pay a standby fee as prescribed in 
Schedule “A” of this Bylaw for fire fighters and equipment that are required to 
stay on scene in excess of thirty (30) minutes.  
 
8. (5) A minimum of one (1) hour will be charged for standby as described in Section 8. 
(4).  
 
Forced Entry 
8. (6) In the event that Police or Fire cause forced entry to the premises due to the 
false alarm, all costs incurred to secure the building will be imposed on the owner 
or occupier of the property. 
 
 
INVOICING 
 
 
9. 
Any fees imposed under this Bylaw are due and payable within forty-five (45) 
days of invoice and, if not paid on December 31st of the year in which they are 
imposed, may be added to and form part of the taxes payable on the real 
property as taxes in arrears. 
 
 
CANCELLATION AND RESUMPTION OF POLICE RESPONSE  
 
10. (1) If in any twelve (12) month period the Police respond to five (5) or more false 
alarms originating from one security alarm system, the Officer in Charge may 
cause a notice in writing to be sent to the owner and occupier of the property in 
which the security alarm system is installed advising that the Police may not 
respond to subsequent alarms. 
 
10. (2) Before response to security alarms will resume, the owner or occupier of real 
property must provide evidence to the Police Department that a certified alarm 
service company has reviewed the security alarm system, identified the cause(s) 
of the false alarm and rectified the cause(s) of the false alarm.  
 
10. (3) On receipt of a valid inspection report, the Police Department may resume 
security alarm system response and a new twelve (12) month period will begin 
from the date of the evidence provided by a certified alarm service company. 
 
 
REINSTATEMENT TO NO ALARM STATUS 
 
11. (1) The owner or occupier of real property with a code required fire alarm system 
can apply in writing for a reinstatement to No Alarm Status by providing evidence 
to the Fire Department that a certified alarm service company has reviewed the 
alarm system, identified the cause(s) of the false alarm and rectified the cause(s) 
of the false alarm.  

False Alarm Bylaw No. 658, 2007 – consolidated to January 2017 
 
 
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11. (2) This application for reinstatement to No Alarm Status must be initiated by the 
owner or occupier within thirty (30) days of issuance of a notice or invoice for a 
false alarm.  

False Alarm Bylaw No. 658, 2007 – consolidated to January 2017 
 
 
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APPEAL 
 
12. (1) The owner or occupier of real property may appeal the validity of a determination 
that an alarm was false by submitting a notice in writing to the Officer in Charge 
or Fire Chief within ten (10) days of issuance of a notice or invoice for a false 
alarm. The Officer in Charge or Fire Chief may: 
 
(a) Conduct an internal investigation; or 
(b) Attempt to resolve the appeal informally with the owner or occupier; or 
(c) Convene a hearing with the Clerk, the owner or occupier, and the Officer in 
Charge or Fire Chief; or 
(d) Receive written or oral submissions from the owner or occupier;  
 
and determine whether the alarm was false and may subsequently cancel the 
invoice.  
 
12. (2) The determination by the Officer in Charge or Fire Chief under Section 12 (1) of 
this Bylaw is final and conclusive for all purposes. 
 
12. (3) The Officer in Charge or Fire Chief may delegate responsibility under Section 12 
(1) to another staff member in the Police or Fire Department respectively. 
 
 
FORMS 
 
13. 
The Clerk may prescribe the form of notices and invoices for the purposes of this 
Bylaw. 
 
 
PENALTY 
 
14. 
Any person who violates any provision of this Bylaw is guilty of an offence and is 
liable upon summary conviction to a fine of not less than $100.00 for a first 
offence and of not less than $200.00 for a second or subsequent offence. 
 
 
COMING INTO FORCE 
 
15. 
This Bylaw will come into force and effect on August 1, 2007. 
 
 
REPEAL 
 
16. 
Bylaw No. 190, 1994, cited as “False Alarm Bylaw, 1994, No. 190” is hereby 
repealed. 
 
 
 

False Alarm Bylaw No. 658, 2007 – consolidated to January 2017 
 
 
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READ A FIRST TIME THIS 
17th    DAY OF  
APRIL, 2007  
 
 
READ A SECOND TIME THIS 
17th    DAY OF 
APRIL, 2007 
 
READ A THIRD TIME THIS 
19th  DAY OF 
JUNE, 2007 
 
 
ADOPTED BY COUNCIL, SIGNED BY THE MAYOR AND THE CLERK AND 
SEALED WITH THE SEAL OF THE TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL THIS  3rd   DAY 
OF   JULY, 2007. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MAYOR 
 
 
 
 
 
CLERK  
 
 

False Alarm Bylaw No. 658, 2007 – consolidated to January 2017 
 
 
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Schedule “A”  
 
Engines 
Minimum 
Requirements 
Types 
Structure Engines 
Wildland Engines 
 
1 
2 
3 & CAFS 
4 
Pump 
1000 GPM 
500 GPM 
120 GPM 
50 GPM 
 
825 IGPM 
425 IGPM 
100 IGPM 
40 IGPM 
Water Tank 
400 Gal. 
400 Gal. 
300 Gal 
200 Gal. 
 
325 IG 
325 IG 
250 IG 
175 IG 
Hose 2 ½” 
1200 Ft. 
1000 Ft. 
- 
- 
Hose 1 ½” 
400 Ft. 
500 Ft. 
1000 Ft. 
300 Ft. 
Hose 1” 
200 Ft. 
300 Ft. 
800 Ft. 
800 Ft. 
Ladder  
20 Ft. Ext. 
20 Ft. Ext. 
- 
- 
Master Stream 
500 GPM 
- 
- 
- 
Personnel 
4 with SCBA 
3 with SCBA 
3 with SCBA 
3 with SCBA 
Total 
$480/hour 
$400/hour 
$375/hour 
$275/hour 
 
 
Truck Company 
Minimum Requirements 
Types 
1 
2 
Aerial Device 
75 Ft. 
50 Ft. 
Elevated Stream 
500 GPM 
500 GPM 
 
425 IGPM 
425 IGPM 
Ground Ladders 
115 Ft. (Total) 
115 Ft. (Total) 
Personnel 
4 
4 
Total 
$679/hour 
$579/hour 
 
 
Water Tender 
Minimum 
Requirements 
Types 
1 
2 
3 
Pump 
300 GPM 
120 GPM 
50 GPM 
 
250 IGPM 
100 IGPM 
40 IGPM 
Water Tank 
2000 Gal. 
1000 Gal. 
1000 Gal. 
 
1600 IG 
800 IG 
800 IG 
Personnel 
2 
2 
2 
Total 
$297/hour 
$247/hour 
$222/hour 
 
 

False Alarm Bylaw No. 658, 2007 – consolidated to January 2017 
 
 
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Brush Patrol 
Minimum Requirements 
Pump 
15 GPM 
 
12 IGPM 
Hose 1” 
150 Ft. 
Tank 
75 Gal. 
 
60 IG 
Personnel 
2 
Total 
$172/hour 
 
 
Fire Fighters 
Fire Fighter Rates 
Total 
$30.50/hour/person 
 
 
Glossary 
Ft. – Feet  
Ft. Ext. – Foot extension 
Gal. – Gallon 
GPM – Gallons per minute 
IG – Imperial gallon 
IGPM – Imperial gallons per minute 
SCBA – Self-contained breathing apparatus