A. The following terms are defined in this section:
1. ALARM ADMINISTRATOR: The McHenry County Sheriff or any other person designated by the Sheriff.
2. ALARM BUSINESS: Any business operated by a person who is engaged in the activity of altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, moving, repairing, replacing, selling, servicing or responding to an emergency alarm system, or which causes any of these activities to take place.
3. ALARM SYSTEM: An assembly of equipment arranged to signal the presence of a hazard requiring urgent attention to which the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department or fire/ambulance service departments are expected to respond.
4. ALARM USER: Any person or business on whose premises an alarm system is maintained other than alarm systems on a motor vehicle.
5. SHERIFF’S PSAP: McHenry County Sheriff Public Safety Answering Point.
6. AUTOMATIC DIGITAL DIALING ALARM EQUIPMENT: An alarm system that has the capability of transmitting a call and recorded message to a telephone receiver at the SHERIFF’S PSAP.
7. FALSE ALARM: The activation of an alarm system through mechanical or electronic failure, malfunction, improper installation or the negligence of the owner or lessee of an alarm system or his employees or agents, except that the following shall not be considered false alarms:
a. Alarms occurring on a repeated basis without apparent cause within the first 30 days after installation of the Alarm System and where continuous effort, in the sole opinion of the Alarm Administrator, is being made jointly by the Alarm User, the Alarm Business and any other concerned person to correct the malfunction expeditiously.
b. Alarms caused by actual illegal entry or attempted entry of which there is visible evidence.
c. Alarms caused by an on-premises fire
d. Alarms intentionally caused by a person acting under a reasonable belief that a need exists to call the police or fire/ambulance services.
e. Alarms caused by tornadoes, earthquakes, major floods or other natural disaster or conditions.
8. PERSON: Any natural individual, firm, partnership, trust, estate, club, association or corporation. As applied to partnerships or associations the word includes the partners or members thereof; as applied to corporations it includes the officers, agents or employees thereof who are responsible for the act referred to. The singular includes the plural, and the plural includes the singular. The masculine gender includes the feminine and neuter genders.
(Ord. O-200605-32-054, passed 5-16-2006)