Fire alarm thefts leave condo, apartment dwellers unprotected
Sun Sentinel
By Lisa J. Huriash
06 September 2014

A new twist in creative crime — the widespread theft of electronic circuit boards in fire alarms — has left thousands of apartment and condo dwellers without warning in case of fire, and raised concerns among safety officials from Tallahassee to Tamarac.

Adding to fears about being caught in a blaze without warning, condo and apartment residents face the prospect of paying exorbitant fees for old-fashioned human fire watches.

"My God, they could have been dead in their beds," Janet Bianchi, president of Margate's Palm Lakes Condominium, said of the thousands of residents unknowingly living in units without working fire alarms. "It's just scary we were left vulnerable."

One way to alleviate that vulnerability is for residents in the at-risk buildings to spend hundreds of dollars an hour for fire trucks or private security guards to stand watch against fire.

The thefts have triggered an investigation by the state Fire Marshal's Office, as well as an internal investigation at Margate City Hall, into how efficiently the department notified residents of a problem that impacts public safety. "Who knew what, when?" asked Margate Mayor Lesa "Le" Peerman.

Thieves swipe the panels — most cost upward of $1,000 each — to sell as repair parts for other alarm systems, according to Fire Chief Frank Babinec of Coral Springs, whose inspectors discovered five missing panels from one condominium complex on Friday. Another two apartment complexes were hit within the past month.

The state Fire Marshal's Office, along with the Broward Sheriff's Office and Tamarac Fire Department, is investigating who is stealing the units and where exactly the purloined panels end up.

"These are all things we hope to learn more about," fire marshal spokeswoman Ashley Carr said. "We anticipate a black market value and have been looking out for these to pop up for sale through various means, but the questions of who and where are all part of what we hope to learn."

Tamarac Fire Chief Mike Burton likens the thefts to air bags stolen out of cars: "It's a safety feature you depend on to be there."

And Burton worries about firefighters devoting initial efforts to rescuing crowds of condo residents rather than first fighting the blaze, which endangers their own lives. "There's a risk for residents, but to my men and women as well," he said.

Palm Lakes president Bianchi, whose buildings were victimized, doesn't know how long residents, many in wheelchairs, were without fire protection. She was outraged when the fire department offered to park a fire engine at the condos for $250 an hour to offer protection. "It would have bankrupted us," she said. Then Bianchi learned the thefts were part of a larger, ongoing problem of which county officials were already aware.

When she complained, Margate opened an administrative inquiry into the fire department's handling of the information.

After a spate of thefts, Coral Springs is preparing to launch a campaign to notify condos and apartment complexes "to keep a close eye on the rooms that house these panels and make sure they haven't been tampered," Babinec said.

In most cases, there's one fire alarm system per building. They are typically kept behind locked doors in maintenance rooms whose access, exterior or interior, varies among buildings.

The rooms also house cable, telephone, air conditioning and electrical equipment, so they are used often and there are many keys for service personnel.

Among the thefts:

Tamarac: More than 42 panels have been stolen in eight condos within the last six months, including Bermuda Club, Hidden Harbor and Lime Bay.

The city has sent postcards to condo property managers apprising them of the thefts, city spokeswoman Elise Boston said. "In addition, we've ramped up inspections. Inspections are normally done annually, but Tamarac has been doing random checks almost weekly."

• Sunrise: Sunrise Lakes Phase IV condo was hit earlier this year, according to reports.

"Our Police Department and Fire Rescue Department have been very proactive," said city spokeswoman Christine Pfeffer. "They've worked to educate residents at multifamily buildings, including posting 'Public Alert' fliers regarding panel thefts and the need to report suspicious activity."

• North Lauderdale: In the past five months, 14 panels were stolen, city spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson said. "Our fire department has been working closely with our [Broward Sheriff's Office] partners, as well as the state Fire Marshal, to help resolve the crimes," she said.

• Dania Beach: Six panels were discovered stolen from condos since May, said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles. All were stolen between March and May.

"There is market value for the parts," Jachles said. "They're expensive."

Replacing a panel could cost tens of thousands of dollars, he said, since older panels no longer meet new codes. "If a panel is stolen, then the fire code requires them to meet current standards for the alarm system so it could be very costly to replace these."

• Hollywood: City officials said nine panels have been stolen from four condo and apartment buildings since May.

• Margate: Three condos have been burglarized, including Palm Lakes, a sprawling 55-and-older complex. Thefts of panels from 10 buildings at Palm Lakes was discovered by a private inspection company in August.

Mayor Peerman said nobody at City Hall knew about the rash of thefts throughout the county until Bianchi called her to complain.

"I'm extremely disappointed," Peerman said. "The welfare of our residents was not the top priority in making the decision not to tell the residents."

Unable to pay the fire department's protection fees, the condo spent about $600 for a private security firm to stand guard and watch for fires for four days — just enough time to replace the stolen panels and change locks on meter rooms.

Bianchi said she received a letter from City Hall — three days after the thefts — warning residents to secure meter rooms. "The situation may go unnoticed for several months before the systems are due for inspection," the letter said.

The notice came too late to prevent the thefts, Bianchi said. "It was too little too late. It added insult to injury."

The Fire Marshal's Office became aware of the thefts earlier this year, and about three months ago formed a group composed of themselves, the Broward Sheriff's Office and Tamarac's Fire Department to combat the problem.

"These thefts create not only a financial problem but also one of life safety, and the goal is to isolate the source of the problem and take appropriate steps to stop its continuance," said Carr, of the Fire Marshal's Office

But so far, there are no leads on who's snatching the panels. "We're still working on it," Carr said.

The Sheriff's Office suggests residents make routine checks "to make sure everything is intact," Jachles said.


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