The following acts shall be subject to the assessment of emergency response fees.
(A) Arrest for OWI or impaired driving. The city shall be reimbursed for the actual costs and expenses for the arrest, charging, and prosecution of any person guilty of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated or impaired driving. No exemption shall be allowed for this division (A).
(B) False alarms. No service fee shall be charged to the owner of a structure or motor vehicle which sounds or activates a false alarm as determined by the Chief of the responding department when said false alarm is the first such false alarm during a calendar year whereby emergency personnel are called to the structure or motor vehicle. Thereafter, for a second false alarm during that year, the owner of the structure or motor vehicle shall be charged a fee equal to 50% of the actual costs and expenses for personnel, vehicles, and equipment responding. For any third or subsequent false alarm during the year, the owner of the structure or motor vehicle shall be charged 100% of the response costs. Whenever a false alarm is intentionally activated, the person doing so shall be charged 100% of the response costs.
(C) Downed or dangerous power lines, cable television lines, or telephone lines. The city shall bill any public utility for the actual cost of responding to a power, cable, telephone, or other wire, line, or cable which due to any cause including, but not limited to, wind, ice, accident, deterioration, or poor maintenance has become dangerous to persons, property, or vehicles within the city. Actual costs shall include wages of responding personnel, a reasonable charge for vehicles or equipment utilized in the response, and replacement cost of materials or supplies expended in the response. The owner of the power line, cable, or telephone line shall be responsible for payment of the charges.
(D) Gas leaks. The public utility providing natural gas pursuant to a franchise in the city shall reimburse the city for all actual costs incurred by the city to any reported gas leak should it be determined that there was an actual gas leak. The public utility shall be charged and shall pay to the city actual costs and expenses including the wages of any city personnel, reasonable charges for vehicles or equipment, and the replacement cost of materials and supplies expended in the emergency response.
(E) Intentionally caused hazards. Any person who intentionally creates an emergency situation whereby there is an imminent risk of injury to person or property, including the person intentionally causing the emergency, the city shall be reimbursed by that person for all expenses associated with the emergency created including the wages of the personnel responding, a reasonable charge for vehicles and equipment, and the replacement costs of materials and supplies expended in the emergency response.
(F) Bomb threats. In addition to prosecution, any person who by any means communicates a bomb threat within the city shall be charged the actual cost of responding to the bomb threat including any wages for personnel, a reasonable charge for vehicles and equipment, and the replacement cost for materials and supplies expended in the emergency response.
(G) Other emergency responses. It is also understood that there may occur within the city some other emergency situation such as a gasoline spill, a major collision or major vehicular accident, an airplane disaster, a railroad collision or derailment, or some other unanticipated event requiring the emergency response of the police, fire, or other personnel of the city. In the event that the city is legally entitled to recoup its actual expenses related to said emergency response, then the city is hereby authorized to charge and collect from the responsible party any and all actual costs and expenses related to the response. Actual costs shall include wages of responding personnel, a reasonable charge for vehicles or equipment utilized in the response, and replacement cost of materials or supplies expended in the response.
(2011 Code, § 8.44.020) (Ord. passed - -)