Grande Prairie city council is preparing to pass a new bylaw that would add fees for false fire alarms at residential properties.
At a committee meeting Tuesday, April 21, administration presented a report on the number of false alarm calls in the city.
Mayor Jackie Clayton said the number of false alarms continues to rise.
“The number of calls for non-emergency instances continues to climb, and it’s become quite concerning,” she said.
In 2021, the Grande Prairie Fire Department responded to 722 alarm calls. In 2025, that number rose to 1,154. The city said 67 per cent of fire department calls in 2025 were residential alarm calls.
The city currently charges businesses for false alarms, but there is no fee for residential false alarms. Administration is now working on a draft bylaw that would introduce fees for residential properties.
If passed, the bylaw would allow one free false alarm, followed by fees of $330 for a second occurrence, $550 for a third and $825 for a fourth.
Clayton said firefighters should be focused on emergencies rather than unnecessary calls.
“First and foremost, everybody would agree that there is no value in fire fighters being called to false alarms. Firefighters are best used when dealing with emergencies and not non-emergencies,” she said.
If approved, the city has not set a date for when the fees would take effect.
