(a) Authority to Install Alarm. Any residence or business located within the City may be equipped with an emergency alarm for the purpose of detecting and signaling the presence of a fire or unauthorized intrusion upon compliance with this section. Existing installations shall be subject to the requirements of this section, including those pertaining to permits.
(b) Alarms Connected Directly to Police Station or Fire Station.
(1) Upon proper application by any person to connect installed equipment to the South Euclid police station or fire station to receive emergency alarms, the Mayor or his or her authorized representatives may issue a permit or permits for such connection.
(2) Connection to the police alarm panel or fire alarm panel, as provided for in subsection (b)(1) hereof, shall be contingent upon the applicant having obtained permission from the company which maintains the alarm panel in the police station or fire station to make such connection. Permission shall not be denied provided equipment is compatible, and provided charges are paid to such company, and provided such installation is inspected and approved by the Chief of Police or the Chief of Fire or their authorized representatives.
(3) The City will, within its capabilities, endeavor to accommodate every reasonable application for connection to the police or fire alarm panels as provided for in subsection (b)(2).
(c) False Alarms.
(1) A charge of fifty dollars ($50.00) shall be assessed for each false alarm received through equipment described above, or for each false alarm received on any other alarm service which the City has given permission to be installed. Such fee shall be assessed against the alarm subscriber for the alarm with which the false alarm is associated.
(2) Notwithstanding the fee to be assessed as set forth above, no charge shall be made for the first two false alarms within a six-month period, nor shall there be any charge for a false alarm to which there is no response by the Police or Fire Departments, nor when the cause has been proven to be an act of God.
(3) Any charge for a false alarm, as provided for in subsection (c)(1) above, which remains unpaid 30 days after date of invoice shall result in the assessment of the charges against the property involved.
(4) If within six months after the first of the two false alarms referred to in this division (c) has occurred, a third false alarm as declared in this division occurs, the City may abate the nuisance by responding to the activity using administrative, fire response and law enforcement actions, and the costs of such abatement shall be assessed on the nuisance property in the same manner as in Section 531.04 of the Codified Ordinances. The City shall provide notice to the owner of the nuisance property of the City's intent to assess the costs of abatement against the owner's property at least 30 days before such costs are certified to the County for assessment against the property, and such notice shall contain a description of the nuisance activity that is the basis for the notice of intent to assess the property, and the cost to abate. Notice shall be served as set forth in Section 531.03 of the Codified Ordinances.
(5) The provisions of this section shall not apply to false fire alarms received from apartment buildings and/or condominiums. Such false alarms are exempt from enforcement under this section of the code. False alarms received from apartment buildings or condominiums will be subject to the provisions of Section 1550.13(m) "Detection Systems Required in Apartment Buildings" of Chapter 15 "Fire Prevention" of the Codified Ordinances.
(d) General.
(1) All equipment used in installations for which a permit is required shall meet the applicable standards of the Underwriters Laboratories and/or the National Fire Protection Association and/or other recognized industry standard. Applicant may be required to submit evidence of the reliability and suitability of the equipment to be installed.
(2) The sensory mechanism used in connection with such devices must be adjusted to suppress false indications of fire or intrusion, so that the devices will not be actuated by impulses due to transient pressure change in water pipes, short flashes of light, wind noises such as the rattling or vibrating of doors or windows, vehicular noise adjacent to the installation, or other forces unrelated to genuine alarms.
(3) All components comprising such a device must be maintained by the owner or lessee in good repair to assure reliability of operation.
(4) Each alarm equipment supplier that sells or leases to a person an alarm device which is installed on such person's premises in the City shall furnish that person with instructions as to the way the device operates, along with maintenance instructions.
(5) Each alarm equipment supplier shall also furnish the Chief of Police and/or the Chief of Fire with a copy of the instructions as to the way the device operates. If the Chief of Police and/or the Chief of Fire find such to be incomplete, unclear or otherwise inadequate, he/she may require the alarm equipment supplier to have the same revised to meet his/her approval and then promptly have copies distributed to persons for whom installation of such devices are made.
(6) Each alarm equipment supplier that sells or leases to a person an alarm device which is installed on such person's premises in the City for which a permit is required must provide for receiving calls for service directly or through an agent, on a 24-hour basis, seven days a week, and shall respond to such calls within eight hours of the time they are received.
(7) At the time of installation, each alarm equipment supplier shall furnish to the person for whom an alarm device has been installed, written information as to how service can be obtained at any time, including the telephone number to call for service; and such person shall be responsible for having the device repaired as quickly as possible after he/she learns, either from his/her own sources or from notification by the City, that the device is not working properly.
(8) The Chief of Police and the Chief of Fire or any officer designated by them shall have the authority, at reasonable times and upon oral notice, to enter upon any premises within the City, to inspect the installation and operation of an automatic protection device or signaling device, the purpose of which is to report an emergency to the police and/or fire station.
(9) All equipment, the use or installation of which is subject to this section, shall be maintained in good operating condition. The Chief of Police and/or the Chief of Fire may require that repairs be made whenever he/she has determined that such are necessary to assure proper operation.
(10) For violation of this section, for failure to properly maintain an installation or when the number of false alarms for any installation equals five in any six-month period, the Chief of Police and/or the Chief of Fire may serve written notice upon the alarm subscriber of intent to require a verified alarm from the alarm company prior to police or fire response. Such notice shall be given not less than seven days prior to this requirement. Such notice shall state the right of the alarm subscriber to appeal to the Police or Fire Chief. If an appeal is filed in writing, the Chief shall hold a hearing on the matter and shall render a decision on the basis of the facts presented. The Chief's decision shall be final.
(e) Liability of City. The issuance of any permit or permits in conjunction with this section shall not constitute acceptance by the City of any liability to maintain any equipment, to answer alarms, or for anything in connection therewith.
(f) Rules and Regulations. The Mayor or his/her authorized representative shall make and enforce such rules and regulations as he/she may deem necessary for the enforcement of the provisions hereof, and for the proper determination and collection of the fees and charges herein provided.
(g) Permit and Inspection Fee. A fee of twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be paid to the City for each permit issued as provided herein, to cover administrative and inspection costs. A separate permit and fee shall be required for a fire alarm and an intrusion alarm emanating from the same premises. Such permit shall not be transferable.
(Ord. 17-84. Passed 1-28-85; Ord. 06-06. Passed 4-10-06; Ord. 04-10. Passed 2-22-10.)