Beware, students: Your burnt popcorn could be burning up money.

In 2004, residence hall governments spent about $7,500 on false fire alarm fines, up from about $4,000 in 2003 and 2002, said Brian Kittle, one of Northwestern’s project managers. Part of this cost increase is due to a change in fining policies over the last year, he added.

Most of the false fire alarms in Northwestern’s residence halls are caused by burnt food, construction dust and steam. Cigarette smoke, birthday candles and a vacuum cleaner bag explosion are examples of other causes of past false alarms on campus, Kittle said.

Depending on the number of false alarms reported from a single building, Evanston’s fire department might charge a fee.

In Evanston the first three false alarms in a building are free. Four to 10 false alarms cost $100 per occurrence. From 11 to 24 false fire alarms, the cost is $300 per alarm, and false fire alarms after the 25th incident costs $500 per each time. These increments are based on the number of false alarms accumulated in one year.

“The whole reason behind charging for false alarms is not for us to make money,” said Kevin Kelly, a division chief with the Evanston Fire and Life-Safety Services. “It’s for people to take care of their alarm systems.”

In some instances, a specific individual is fined for setting off a false alarm, said Virginia Koch, senior assistant director for University Residential Life.

Res Life asks hall governments to notify the office if a student should be held responsible and fined.

Once any fire alarm is set off, fire departments immediately respond to the call. An alarm-monitoring company will call a dispatch center, which then notifies the nearest fire station.

Typically, two fire engines and one truck, each with three people, go to the scene of the emergency, Kelly said.

The fire department does not know in advance whether the call is for a false alarm or an actual emergency.

If the call is a false alarm, a member of the department still will file a report, said La Desha Kivel, an alarm permit coordinator. Every event in which the fire department is called requires a report.

Evanston’s fire department is not notified when residence halls’ emergency exit doors sound alarms within the building. The local alarms, activated when the doors are opened outside of certain hours, serve as a safety feature, Kittle said. No one is fined for these alarms.

Reach Rebekah Tsadik at [email protected].