(A) Purpose.
(1) The purpose of this section is to encourage alarm users and alarm companies to maintain the operational reliability of alarm systems and to properly use alarm systems in order to reduce or eliminate false/accidental alarm dispatches of fire apparatus and police.
(2) This section governs systems intended to summon a fire or police response, establishes a fee associated with penalties for violations.
(B) Definitions. For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ALARM. The activation of an alarm signal that produced either an audible sound that can be heard from the interior or exterior of a commercial or residential building, structure or premises housing the alarm system, or the emission of a signal to a direct monitoring service which in turn notifies the County Communications Center or directly notifies local officials that an alarm has been activated.
ALARM BUSINESS. The business by any individual, partnership or corporation serving, repairing, altering, replacing, moving or installing any alarm system, or causing to be sold, leased, maintained, serviced, repaired, altered, replaced, moved or installed any alarm system in or on any commercial or residential building, structure or premises, and shall not include any other activity of the business.
ALARM DISPATCH REQUEST. A notification to public safety officials by an alarm company that an alarm has been activated at an alarm site.
ALARM INSTALLATION. Any alarm device or combination of devices installed for one or more commercial or residential buildings, structures or premises.
ALARM SYSTEM. A device or series of devices, including, but not limited to, systems interconnected with a radio frequency signal, which are designed to warn of fire by emitting or transmitting a remote or local audible, visual or electronic signal indicating an alarm condition that may require attention by a Fire Department.
AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE DIALING DEVICE or DIGITAL ALARM COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. An alarm system that automatically sends a prerecorded voice message or coded signal over regular telephone lines by direct connection or any other digital method indicating the existence of the emergency situation that the alarm system is designed to detect.
FALSE ALARM. Any transmitted alarm signal in which there is no sign of smoke, fire, waterflow conditions, break-in or robbery.
(C) General regulations.
(1) The alarm user shall maintain the premises and the alarm system in a manner that will minimize or eliminate false/accidental alarm dispatches and activate the alarm only for the occurrence of events it was designed to report.
(2) The alarm user shall respond or cause a responsible representative to respond to the alarm site within 30 minutes when notified by officials.
(3) Each alarm user shall furnish to the county communications center in writing the names and telephone number of at least two, but no more than five, persons authorized and able to deactivate the alarm system.
(4) The alarm user shall adjust the mechanism or cause the mechanism to be adjusted so that an alarm signal audible on the exterior of the alarm site shall sound no longer than 15 minutes, requiring an automatic reset.
(D) Alarm response.
(1) It shall be determined that three or more false alarms within a one-month period is excessive and constitutes a public nuisance. The city will allow three false alarms responses to any alarm user within any calendar month without penalty. A civil penalty shall be issued for any excess false alarm responses.
(2) No fee shall be assessed if the false/accidental alarm dispatch is:
(a) Caused by a hurricane, tornado or lighting strike where there is clear evidence of physical damage to the alarm system;
(b) Activated by an electrical power outage to the electric meter on the commercial or residential building housing the activated system; or
(c) An alarm system activated during alarm system tests conducted by the Fire Inspections Office for the purpose of computing alarm times.
(3) No fee shall be assessed if the alarm is caused by:
(a) Actual fire;
(b) Smoke condition without fire;
(c) Sprinkler water-flow has tripped system due to a sprinkler head activating with or without fire;
(d) Actual break-in; or
(e) Robbery.
(E) Prohibited acts. Except for alarm testing, it shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly activate an alarm when no fire exists or a burglary or robbery has not occurred.
(F) Enforcement of violations.
(1) This section shall only apply and be enforced in the incorporated areas of the city. The City Fire Chief or his or her designee and/or City Code Official shall have enforcement authority of this section.
(2) Civil penalties under division (D) above if not paid within 30 days of the issuance of the citation, may be recovered by the city in a civil action in the nature of a debt.
(3) As of the effective date of this section, alarm users shall be deemed to have zero alarm responses for the purposes of division (D) above.
(G) Collected funds. All collected funds will be placed in the City General Fund account to help the city provide professional fire and police protection to the citizens of the city.
(2009 Code, § 92.030) (Ord. 14-10, passed 11-23-2010) Penalty, see § 41.999