[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Bethel 10-27-2010 by L.L. No.
4-2010. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Noise — See Ch. 220.
The purpose of this chapter is to promote the health, safety,
and general welfare of the residents of the Town of Bethel by reducing
the number of avoidable false alarms. False alarms result in unnecessary
use of manpower and ineffective utilization of police, ambulance,
fire and rescue equipment. This chapter seeks to ensure that police,
ambulance, fire and rescue emergency personnel are available for dispatch
to actual emergencies and to alleviate the nuisance of audible false
alarms to the surrounding community.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Includes a device or an assembly of equipment which emits
an audible, visual, or other similar response which is intended to
alert persons outside a premises to the existence of a hazard or emergency;
or which is connected to a central station or answering service for
the purpose of reporting such alarms to emergency agencies.
Includes any person who owns, leases, or uses an alarm system
within the Town of Bethel.
Includes the activation of any alarm system that is not occasioned
by a local or regional power outage, weather conditions, natural disaster,
criminal act, fire or other emergency.
A system under which an alarm user permits access to emergency
services personnel to any premises with an alarm system through the
installation of a Knox-Box or similar product that stores keys or
access cards.
Alarm users shall be required to annually register on a calendar
year basis each alarm system they own, lease, or use with the Town
of Bethel Building Department. There shall be a one-time registration
fee of $25 for the initial registration of each alarm system. The
amount of the initial registration fee may be amended from time to
time by resolution of the Town Board. An alarm registration shall
not be transferable to another person or alarm site. Alarm users shall
be required to notify the Town of Bethel of any change in their registration
information within 30 days of such change.
All alarm users who have installed an operating alarm system
shall also install a Knox-Box or provide another key-holder system
approved by the Town of Bethel Building Department.
Alarm users shall be liable for false alarms, including, without
limitation, false alarms arising from improper use or operation of
an alarm system, defective installation of an alarm system, the failure
to repair an alarm system, or the use of defective equipment in connection
with an alarm system, but shall not be liable for the activation of
an alarm system under circumstances where the activator reasonably
believes that an emergency situation exists.
A.
All alarm systems which employ an audible signal or flashing light
beacon designed to signal persons outside the premises must be deactivated
and silenced automatically within 15 minutes.
B.
Emergency officials are hereby authorized to disable an audible alarm
signal that has not been silenced within 15 minutes and neither the
Town, its officers and employees, nor constables and fire officials,
shall be liable for any damage which may result from disabling an
audible alarm signal as herein provided.
A.
Persons who violate this chapter shall be guilty of a violation and
subject to punishment by a fine for the occurrence of one or more
false alarms in any twelve-month period, as determined by the date
of the occurrence, as follows:
(1)
Fine schedule:
|
False Alarm
|
Fine
| |
|---|---|---|
|
First false alarm
|
$0
| |
|
Second and third false alarms
|
$250
| |
|
Fourth false alarm
|
$500
| |
|
Fifth or more false alarms
|
$1,000
|
(2)
The amount of the fines set forth above may be amended from time
to time by resolution of the Town Board. Each separate violation shall
constitute a separate additional offense.
C.
All violations of this chapter shall be returnable before, and all
false alarm fines shall be collected by, the Town Justice Court.
The Town of Bethel shall not be liable for any defects in operation
of emergency alarm systems, for any failure to respond appropriately
or for any erroneous response upon receipt of any emergency alarm
signal; nor shall the Town of Bethel be liable for the failure or
defect of any installation, operation, or maintenance of equipment,
the transmission of alarm signals or messages, or the relaying of
such signals or messages. In the event that the Town of Bethel finds
it necessary to disconnect a defective alarm or device, the Town shall
incur no liability therefrom. In addition, if emergency personnel
acting on behalf of the Town, or any of its fire or ambulance districts,
must gain access to any premises at which an alarm system is installed
as a result of having been summoned by said alarm system, the Town,
its employees or any of its fire or ambulance district emergency personnel
shall not be liable for any damage caused by a forced entry to said
premises.
A.
None of the provisions of this chapter shall apply to any device
for which the primary function is as a smoke detector, heat detector,
or CO detector, unless such device is connected to a central station
or answering service for the purpose of reporting such alarms to emergency
agencies.
B.
None of the provisions of this chapter shall apply to any alarm system
installed in any building, structure, trailer, or motor vehicle owned
or leased by the Town of Bethel.
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or work
of this chapter is for any reason held to be invalid by any court
of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity
of the remaining provisions hereof.
