Help, help, I need some help!

No, no, everything is fine. No need to worry.

Help, help, we need help now!

Sorry, my bad. It was just a mistake.

It may seem a bit silly, but unfortunately, that’s sort of what county sheriff’s deputies go through when property owners with security alarms constantly send deputies scrambling to respond to alarm calls.

When your alarm sounds, it’s the most important alarm in the world — to you, that is.

Emergency responders, on the other hand, know that sometimes one emergency is more urgent than another.

Whether it’s a heart attack, break-in or bump in the night, those of us calling local authorities for assistance deserve prompt attention.

But sometimes another alarm — one that’s not remotely important at all — may delay response times for your emergency, authorities say.

Security alarms can alert law enforcement to violent crimes being committed at the very moment the alarm goes off.

But false alarms can also be a tremendous waste of law enforcement resources, too.

Someone who forgot they set off the alarm and never bothered to call or someone who simply has a malfunctioning alarm and doesn’t take care of it can cause serious problems.

We’re happy the Adams County Board of Supervisors in conjunction with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office has decided to start fining the habitual false alarm offenders.

If strictly enforced, it could potentially serve as a deterrent to flagrant abuse.

Our only regret with the new law is that the fines seem too light.