Kirsten, you did the proper thing, and I'm glad you did, too.

Back 10 years ago, when I was still in the apartment and my Dad had moved in with me, he was talking on the phone to my brother. I had gone to lie down, and fell asleep. Dad had a low blood sugar reaction and stopped talking to my brother. Bro called the local police, they sent an ambulance. I woke up to the doorbell. As I wandered down my hallway to the kitchen to release the door, the banging started at my apartment door (another tenant let them in the building). Now I could see Dad, and could see he was in distress. I opened the door, ready to tell the person to call 911 while I helped Dad and . . . there was the help we needed!

Around here, we've had many false alarms, seems to be a teen thing to do this summer. Many areas are starting to bill the parents for the costs. One kid phoned in saying he was out in the bay in a canoe and had dropped his paddle, couldn't get back, then shut off his phone. Coast Guard searched for 2 hours while police worked to backtrack the phone - to a private home!

I think the bill is automatic in your situation and the appeal process is in place to make corrections.