(A) Definitions.
(l) “FIRE ALARM SYSTEM.” Any assembly of equipment, mechanical or electrical, by a fire alarm business or individual arranged to signal the occurrence of fire, smoke, water flow, or other condition to which the Fire Department is expected to respond.
(2) “SECURITY ALARM SYSTEM.” Any assembly of equipment, mechanical or electrical, by an alarm business or individual arranged to signal the occurrence of an intrusion, burglary, breaking and entering, or other condition to which the Police Department is expected to respond.
(3) “ALARM USER.” A person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company or organization of any kind that is in control of any building, structure, or facility where a fire or security alarm system is present.
(4) “FALSE ALARM CALL.” The reporting or transmitting by any means to the Fire Department, Police Department, or other emergency response organization false information which would reasonably be expected to result in any action or response by such Department or response organization.
(B) Fire or security alarm system false alarms.
(1) Whenever Fire or Police Department personnel respond to an activated fire or security alarm system, the officer in charge of the incident shall determine if the response was caused by a false alarm and shall indicate that fact upon the incident report.
(2) The Fire and Police Departments shall regularly review reports to monitor the accumulation of false alarms at any one location. When two false alarms have occurred at the same location within any 365 day period, the city shall notify the alarm user by letter, citing the location and date of each false alarm. The letter shall recommend that appropriate action be taken on the part of the alarm user to alleviate the cause of false alarm calls and shall include a statement that an accumulation of more than three false alarms within any consecutive 365 day period shall result in a charge for services. A similar letter shall be sent when three false alarms have occurred at the same location within the period.
(3) False alarms that are activated by alarm system service personnel shall not be charged against the alarm user as false alarms when the user has notified the Police and/or Fire Department in advance of service or repair.
(4) Alarm systems that are reset prior to the arrival of emergency response personnel shall be considered false alarms as defined by this section regardless of the actual cause of the alarm.
(5) For the fourth and each subsequent false alarm which occurs at one location within any 365 day period, a user fee of $100 shall be assessed against the alarm user. Such assessment shall be served on the alarm user by hand delivery of notice at the location of the false alarm. If the assessment is not paid within 30 days of service, the assessed fee shall increase to $200, and the city may seek a civil judgment and execution against the alarm user.
(6) If within ten days of receipt of an assessment, an alarm user submits a statement to the City Manager from a licensed alarm business specifying repairs made to the alarm system to prevent recurrence of the false alarm, the assessed fee may be waived; provided that only one fee will be waived for any alarm user in any 365 day period.
(7) Final appeal of an assessment fee may be made to the City Manager within ten days following service of notice of assessment.
(8) A 30 day grace period, during which no alarms will be counted, shall be permitted for each new installation of an alarm system.
(Ord. 99-019, passed 9-28-99; Am. Ord. 2024-004, passed 2-27-24)