SMITHFIELD – Businesses and homeowners who have more than three false fire alarms in a calendar year will be fined under a new Amended Fee Schedule approved recently by the Smithfield Town Council.
During the 2022-2023 budgeting process there were discussions regarding changes to Fire and Police Department fees. The town council recently approved the fee schedule in a 6-to-0 vote. The fees take effect immediately.
Fire Chief Mike Brown said there will be no citations issued for the first, second, and third false fire alarms at the same address during a 12 month period. However, with the fourth activation there will be a $150 penalty. With each additional false activation the fine increases by $50. For example, the fifth false activation will cost homeowners or businesses $200 and the sixth activation $250. There will be no charge for valid fire alarms.
Parking violation citations will cost more. Parking on the wrong side of the street, too close to the corner, across the parking line, or on the crosswalk had been a $10 fine. The fine is now $25.
Parking in a fire lane had been a $25 penalty. That is now $50. Police will work to educate the public about the fire lane violations before issuing fines.
Parking in front of a fire hydrant will cost you $50, up from the previous $25 penalty amount. Abandoning a car on the street will cost $25. Parking in a handicapped zone is now $75, up from the previous $50 fine.
Previous penalties that were $10 are now $25 for parking more than 12 inches from the curb, double parking, parking in a loading zone, blocking a driveway, parking in a traffic lane, parking on a sidewalk, blocking an intersection, parking in a no parking area, and all other parking violations.
Town Councilman Travis Scott asked Smithfield Police to understand that many drivers park their vehicles on the edge of the sidewalk along Market Street in the Downtown area to avoid their cars being struck by passing vehicles.
Parking fines not paid within 48 hours of being issued could be penalized an additional $50.
Another tax on the people.
@johnny. Will I hate taxes as much as the next man should people be allowed to park wherever they want? And fireman waste time and money when the business owners need to fix their alarms?
Sounds like the town just needs more money. On the other hand they waste tons of it everyday.
If you can’t park correctly, you shouldn’t drive.
Town wants to add fines, interesting, but they better add Police Officers to get the job done, cause right now, there are not enough Policemen. When you only have 3 or 4 at any given time. Who is going to answer all the calls, parking Cops? or the Investigators? The town of the Size of Smithfield should have an active squad of about 10 to 15 Policemen per shift.
The analogy of a fireman is what? I would describe it as leaving a car running in the garage until you actually need it.
False fire alarms could get a fire fighter killed or another person killed in responding. I think the fine should higher and parking in front of a fire hydrant should be a tow and not a fine. I was FDNY and I know what happens. I have seen it all. As far as parking the wrong way on a street at night, cars have reflectors in the taillights and not in the front of the car. Have almost hit a few parked the wrong way on the street myself. Go get them Smithfield! By the way, I thought these things were already law?
Unless they changed the law…(which by this post they probably did) Smithfield has no fine for parking on the wrong side of the street) I checked with the Town Attorney several years ago… AND..we have had to educate our LEO on the fact that on our side of the street there is NO parking time limit…(so quit marking my tires) PLEASE, i realize that you are just trying to do your job…if you need money that bad, you need to park off S Second Street and ticket those that are going at least 60 down a 25 MPH (possibly 35 MPH) street….false fire alarms are another story, after 3, fine then goes up a $100 per alarm afterward…my pet pieve, people parking in a handicap zone or reserved veteran space….$75 measley dollars, needs to be $250…and “tell the truth” I readily admit I can’t park worth a darn….parking is one thing…actually driving another, yet I’ve never had a wreck or ticket…