(a) Any person or their designee who is notified by any member of the Fire Department of the activation of an alarm system site shall respond to the alarm site within 20 minutes of the time such person is notified of such activation and shall provide the Fire Department any necessary access or assistance.
(b) Should any person responsible for securing and resetting any alarm system, when notified of its activation, refuse to respond pursuant to this section or within a reasonable time period, the officers on the scene shall check the property thoroughly, attempt to silence the alarm and secure the location as much as possible. If, in the opinion of the Fire Officer in Charge, the cause for the alarm is readily apparent and the system can be readily reset by a reset switch provided for this purpose, the system will be reset.
(c) If any dwelling, building or place is required by law to maintain a fire alarm system, as herein defined, and if said alarm system fails to function and cannot be returned to service within a reasonable time, and if in the opinion of the Fire Chief or Officer in Charge the absence of a properly functioning alarm system may pose a threat to life and/or property, the Fire Chief or Officer may require a Fire Watch to be implemented as follows:
(1) Fire watch duties.
A. Conduct periodic patrols of the entire facility, including all rooms and basement.
B. Identify any fire, life or property hazards. During the patrol of the area, the person should not only be looking for fire, but making sure that the other fire protection features of the building such as egress routes and fire doors are functioning properly.
C. Notify the Euclid Fire Department if a fire is discovered by calling 9-1-1 with the exact address and type of emergency. Fire watch personnel shall be provided with at least one means of direct communication with the Fire Department.
D. Notify occupants of the building of the need to evacuate. If the horns/bells/ strobes of the alarm system are still functional, use them to assist with the evacuation of the building.
E. Maintain a log of fire watch activities.
F. Have knowledge of the location and use of fire protection equipment, such as extinguishers.
G. Fire watch personnel cannot have other duties besides their assigned fire watch.
(2) Frequency of inspections. Fire watch personnel should patrol the entire facility every 15 minutes in the following situations;
A. The facility has people sleeping.
B. The facility is an institutional occupancy.
C. The facility is an occupied assembly or educational occupancy.
Occupied facilities that do not meet the requirements for a 15-minute patrol frequency should have a fire watch patrol every 30 minutes. If a facility cannot be completely patrolled in 15 or 30 minutes, extra personnel shall be assigned fire watch duties to assure that the complete facility is patrolled in the required time frame.
(3) Record keeping. A fire watch log should be maintained at the facility. The log must be available to the Euclid Fire Department at all times during the fire watch. The log shall show the following:
A. Address of the facility.
B. Times that the patrol has completed each tour of the facility.
C. Name of the person conducting the fire watch.
D. Any pertinent information or notes.
E. Historical records shall be maintained in the fire watch log for a period of at least one year.
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of this ordinance, the City of Euclid, its departments, officers, agents and employees shall be under no obligation whatsoever concerning the adequacy, operation or maintenance of any alarm device. No liability whatsoever is assumed for the failure of such alarm devices, or for failure to respond to alarms or for any other act or omission in connection with such devices.
(Ord. 28-2009. Passed 2-17-09; 92-2019. Passed 9-3-19.)