ALARM SYSTEM USER. Any individual, partnership, corporation or other form of association upon whose property a security alarm or fire alarm is installed.
COMMUNICATIONS CENTER. The Elkhart City Communications Center.
FALSE ALARM. A security alarm or fire alarm signal eliciting the dispatch of and response to the scene by police or fire assistance, whether or not the signal is first transmitted to a second party monitoring agency, when there exists no reasonably apparent evidence of a crime or threat of crime, fire or threat of fire, or other circumstances that would warrant a call for immediate police or fire assistance. FALSE ALARM does not include an alarm signal caused by violent conditions of nature during known severe weather incidences as reported by the National Weather Service and the city, rapid change in water pressure induced by the city water management, or other extraordinary circumstances beyond the control of the alarm user or the pre-arranged testing and maintenance of alarm systems. In addition, it shall not be considered a FALSE ALARM if, subsequent to the sounding of an alarm but prior to the arrival of an officer, the Communications Center is notified that the alarm is of a non-emergency nature, thereby “cancelling” the alarm.
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM. Any system, device or mechanism designed to detect the existence of and alert authorities to a fire, threat of fire, or other circumstances that would warrant immediate fire assistance, upon the premises protected by the system, whether activated manually or by sensors or other techniques. FIRE ALARM SYSTEM, however, does not include “local alarms.”
FIRE DEPARTMENT. The Elkhart City Fire Department.
LOCAL ALARM. A device alerting only individuals located upon the premises where the alarm is installed of a crime, threat of crime, fire, threat of fire or other dangerous circumstances.
POLICE DEPARTMENT. The Elkhart City Police Department.
SECOND PARTY MONITORING AGENCY. Any private business providing an alarm monitoring service to another person or entity, which business would, in the event of an activated alarm, telephone or otherwise notify the appropriate department to report said alarm. Alarm systems which utilize a second party monitoring agency shall not be considered “local alarms.”
SECURITY ALARM SYSTEM. Any system, device or mechanism designed to detect the existence of and alert authorities to a crime, threat of crime or other circumstances that would warrant immediate police assistance, upon the premises protected by the system, whether activated manually or by sensors or other techniques. SECURITY ALARM SYSTEM, however, does not include “local alarms.”
(1979 Code, § 94.01) (Ord. 4584, passed 5-7-2001)