[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Altoona 7-10-2013 by Ord. No.
5640. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A.
The purpose of this chapter is to encourage owners and fire alarm
businesses to properly use and maintain the operational effectiveness
of fire alarm systems in order to improve the reliability of fire
alarm systems and reduce or eliminate false fire alarms and nuisance
fire alarms.
B.
This chapter governs fire alarm systems intended to summon fire department
personnel, assessment of fees for excessive false fire alarms and
nuisance fire alarms, provides procedures for repeat offenders, provides
for the severability of the parts hereof if declared invalid, and
provides an effective date.
As used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall
have the following meanings:
Code adopted by the jurisdiction and in the absence of adopted
code, the National Fire Protection Association National Fire Alarm
Code 72 (NFPA 72) and the National Fire Protection Association Life
Safety Code 101 (NFPA 101).
A device that is designed to respond either manually or automatically
to smoke, fire, or activation of a fire suppression system.
The Fire Chief or his designated representative.
The activation of any fire alarm system which results in
a response by the Fire Department and which is caused by the negligence
or intentional misuse of the fire alarm system by the owner, its employees,
agents or any other activation of a fire alarm system not caused by
heat, smoke or fire, exclusive of a nuisance fire alarm.
The assessment of a monetary charge payable to the City/county,
Enforcement Official or jurisdiction authorized pursuant to this chapter,
to defray the expenses of responding to a false fire alarm or nuisance
fire alarm.
A document issued by the Enforcement Official indicating
that the activation was deemed to be the result of a fire alarm activation
due to fire, a nuisance fire alarm, or a false fire alarm.
Any individual, partnership, corporation or other entity
that is appropriately licensed in the state/jurisdiction and installs,
causes to be installed, permits to be installed, alters, maintains,
repairs, replaces or services (including runner services) any fire
alarm system.
A system or portion of a combination system consisting of
components and circuits arranged to monitor and/or exterior annunciate
the status of a fire alarm or supervisory signal-initiating devices
and to initiate the appropriate response to those signals.
The City of Altoona Fire Department.
A temporary measure intended to ensure continuous and systematic
surveillance of a building or portion thereof by one or more qualified
individuals for the purposes of identifying and controlling fire hazards,
detecting early signs of unwanted fire, raising an alarm of fire and
notifying the Fire Department.
The process by which a fire alarm business receives signals
from a fire alarm system and notifies emergency forces.
The activation of any fire alarm system, which results in
a response by the Fire Department, caused by mechanical failure, malfunction,
improper installation, lack of proper maintenance or any other response
for which the Fire Department personnel are unable to determine the
apparent cause of the alarm activation.
Any person who owns the premises in which a fire alarm system
is installed or the person or persons who lease, operate, occupy or
manage the premises.
Any building, structure or combination of buildings and structures
which serve as dwelling units such as single-family, multifamily or
any other area within a building, structure or combination thereof
which is used for any purpose, wherein a fire alarm system is installed.
Any person who inspects, installs, repairs or performs maintenance
on fire alarm systems. This person shall be:
A.
The owner shall be responsible for the activation of a fire alarm
system.
B.
A response to the activation of a fire alarm system shall result
when any officer or member of the Fire Department is dispatched to
the premises where the fire alarm system has been activated.
(1)
At the time of response, the Enforcement Official shall notify any
owner and shall require such person to respond to the premises.
(2)
In the event the fire alarm system is a monitored system, it is the
responsibility of the company monitoring the fire alarm system to
notify the owner at the request of the Enforcement Official.
(3)
In the event the household fire alarm system is a monitored system,
it is the responsibility of the fire alarm business to offer the owner
the option to verify the fire alarm signal before dispatch, as allowed
by adopted code.
(4)
In the event the household fire alarm system is a monitored system,
it is the responsibility of the fire alarm business to forward cancellation
of a fire alarm signal to the Blair County Dispatch Center.
C.
The officer or member of the Fire Department who responded to said
premises shall serve the owner or authorized representative with a
fire alarm activation report.
A.
In the event the activation of a fire alarm system is deemed by the
Enforcement Official to be a nuisance fire alarm, the owner shall
be served with a fire alarm activation report by an officer or member
of the Fire Department, indicating that the activation was deemed
to be the result of a nuisance fire alarm.
B.
This shall require the owner to return a completed report of service/repair
within 15 days of receipt of the fire alarm activation report to verify,
to the reasonable satisfaction of the Enforcement Official, that the
fire alarm system has actually been examined by a qualified fire alarm
technician; and a bona fide attempt has been made to identify and
correct any defect of design, installation or operation of the fire
alarm system which was identifiable as the cause of the nuisance fire
alarm.
C.
Failure to return a report of service/repair within said fifteen-day
period, which is reasonably satisfactory to the Enforcement Official,
shall result in assessment against the owner of a fee in the same
amount as set for false alarms for the nuisance fire alarm.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to any newly
installed fire alarm system for a period of 45 days from the date
of installation, but shall apply from and after the expiration of
the initial forty-five-day period following installation.
A.
The owner and lessee of any alarmed premises shall be jointly and
severally responsible to pay the fees for each occasion on which the
Fire Department (or other agency which the City contracts for fire
services, including assistance by way of mutual aid) responds to a
false alarm from an alarmed premises.
B.
The Altoona City Council shall establish an annual schedule of fees
by resolution for such false alarm responses. The Fire Department
shall report a list of false alarms periodically, identifying the
alarmed premises and the responsible owners and lessees. The City
or third-party billing service contracted to the City shall bill each
responsible owner and lessee for the amounts due in accordance with
an established schedule of fees. All amounts billed by the City/billing
service shall be due within 30 days after each billing. The City is
authorized to prosecute collection procedures for any overdue amounts
in addition to any other remedies provided herein.
For all offenses and violations not otherwise specified, the
penalty shall be a summary offense punishable by a fine not less than
$100 nor more than $1,000 or a prison term not to exceed 90 days,
or both.
