GREENSBURG, Pa. —

The Greensburg City Council has approved an ordinance intended to help first responders. The new legislation will fine homeowners if they have faulty fire detectors.

Ever since Tom Bell became Greensburg's fire chief, false alarms have been a problem. Advertisement

"It’s really gotten to the point where it’s a nuisance," Bell said. "It’s getting worse. In the last nine years, it’s really gotten bad up to this year."

Every time a call comes in, Bell and his crews have to treat it like any real emergency.

"We take all alarms like they’re real fires," he said. "We never insinuate that it’s false."

Sometimes, there are no flames or smoke. Bell told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that last year alone, the city’s fire department responded to 177 false alarms.

The taxpaying

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