(a) Reporting Inoperable Fire Alarm or Fire Suppression System. Any owner, occupant, or responsible person in control of any occupancy covered by the Fire Code or other provision in this Chapter that requires a fire alarm or fire suppression system, shall report any condition limiting or rendering the system inoperable to the City's Fire & EMS Division.
(b) Fire Watch.
(1) The Fire & EMS Chief or City Fire Safety Inspector may require a Fire Watch in accordance with this section.
(2) A Fire Watch may be conducted by a responsible person in control of the occupancy, or by the City's Fire & EMS Division personnel, as determined by the Fire & EMS Chief or City Fire Safety Inspector. A Fire Watch by the City's Fire & EMS Division personnel should only be ordered if the Fire & EMS Chief or City Fire Safety Inspector determines that the hazard to life is substantial.
(3) A Fire Watch will be conducted in accordance with the direction of the Fire & EMS Chief or City Fire Safety Inspector.
(c) Excessive False Alarms.
(1) If a fire alarm system that the owner, occupant, or responsible person in control of any occupancy knows or should have reasonable cause to know is defective or suffering from other deficiencies that produce false alarms, and such system produces four (4) or more false alarms in any six-month consecutive period, the owner, occupant, or responsible person in control of any occupancy may be charged with the costs of the City's Fire & EMS Division responding to such false alarms, per response, beginning with the fourth such occurrence within a six-month consecutive period.
(2) After the second such false alarm within a six-month consecutive period, written notice of that fact shall be given, by regular mail, to the owner, occupant, or responsible person in control of any occupancy by the City with an appropriate warning that additional false alarms may be subject to reimbursement for the cost of the Fire & EMS Division's response to such false alarms, per response, beginning with the fourth such false alarm in any six-month consecutive period.
(d) Costs. Costs associated with a Fire Watch by the City's Fire & EMS Division personnel pursuant to this Section and/or costs associated with excessive false alarms will be assessed to the responsible person in accordance with the Fee Schedule established pursuant to Section 1602.11 of this Chapter.
(Ord. 13-40. Adopted 07/25/13; Ord. 91-49. Adopted 09/12/91; Ord 2020-03. Adopted 02/27/20)