For the purpose of this article, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning:
alarm company: Any person engaged in the full-time or part-time business of selling, leasing, maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving, installing or monitoring any alarm system or causing to be sold, leased, maintained, serviced, repaired, altered, replaced, moved, installed or monitored any alarm system in an alarm site.
alarm coordinator: The individual designated by the Fire Chief to administer, control and review false alarm reduction efforts, issue alarm permits, and enforce the provisions of this article.
alarm permit: A permit issued by the alarm coordinator pursuant to this article.
alarm signal: A signal initiated by a device whose activation is indicative of the presence of a fire or fire signature, including but not limited to a manual fire alarm box, automatic fire detector, water-flow switch, or other similar device.
alarm site: A single fixed premise or location having one street address served by one or more alarm systems. Each tenancy, if served by a separate alarm system in a multi-tenant building or complex, shall be considered a separate alarm site.
alarm system: Any assembly of equipment (whether mechanical, electrical, electronic or any combination thereof) arranged to send an alarm signal and intended to summon the fire department.
alarm user: Any person who uses or is in control of an alarm system at an alarm site.
automatic dialing device: An electrical, electronic, mechanical or other device capable of being programmed to send a pre-recorded message, when activated, over a telephone line, radio, or other communication system.
calendar year: A period of one year beginning on January 1 and ending at the end of the day on December 31.
cancellation: The process by which an alarm company providing monitoring verifies with the alarm user or responsible party that a false dispatch has occurred and that there is not an existing situation at the alarm site requiring a fire department response and notifies the fire department prior to the arrival of the responding fire department personnel.
conversion: The transaction or process by which one alarm company begins monitoring of a previously unmonitored alarm system or an alarm system previously monitored by another alarm company.
false alarm: An alarm signal that is received by the public safety answering point or by any fire department personnel when there is not a situation requiring a fire department response at the alarm site from which the alarm signal originated. The term includes, but is not limited to, any event considered to be a false alarm in Section 40-86 of this article. The term does not include any event that qualifies as a legitimate alarm under Section 40-86 of this article.
Fire Chief: The chief of the fire department and any individual designated by said chief to undertake any of the duties or functions imposed upon the Fire Chief in this article.
fire department: The City of Longview Fire Department.
individual: An individual human being.
person: An individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization, firm, company, or other entity of any nature.
public safety answering point: A communications facility to which the City of Longview has assigned the responsibility to receive 9-1-1 calls and, as appropriate, to dispatch fire department services or to extend, transfer, or relay 9-1-1 calls to appropriate public safety agencies.
takeover: The transaction or process by which an alarm user takes over control of an existing alarm system which was previously controlled by another alarm user.
verify: To contact the alarm site by telephonic or other electrical means, whether or not actual contact with an individual is made, before requesting fire department response, in an attempt to avoid the unnecessary dispatch and response of the fire department.