[HISTORY: Adopted by the County Council of the County of Delaware 1-1-1983 by Ord. No. 82-4. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Department of Emergency Services — See Ch. 6.
As used in this chapter, the following words and phrases shall be defined as set forth below:
DELAWARE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY SERVICES
That Department of County government defined in § 6-75 of Chapter 6, Administrative Code, of the Code of the County of Delaware.
DIGITAL DIALER CONNECTIONS
Monitoring systems which respond to normal telephone line communications generated by digital telephone dialers. The digital telephone dialer is a device which automatically dials a predetermined telephone number upon activation of an alarm system. This telephone number accesses, via the telephone company system, a receiving device located in the Department of Emergency Services, which receiving device communicates a two-way electronically coded tone transmission to acknowledge receipt of the ring signal, receives a tone-coded alarm number, and finally emits a tone-coded signal (sometimes referred to as a "handshake" signal) to acknowledge successful reception of the alarm code number.
DIRECT ALARM CONNECTIONS
Monitoring systems which respond to a change in current flow over supervised leased lines. "Supervision" is defined as, at a minimum, a four-milliamp direct current signal transmitted from the alarm generating device to the appropriate equipment in the Department of Emergency Services. "Leased line" is defined as a pair of conductors provided by the telephone company. The response to a direct alarm connection is an audible and visual indication of either:
A. 
An alarm transmission, indicated by a polarity reversal of the supervisory signal; or
B. 
A trouble signal, indicated by a loss of the supervisory signal.
PERSON
Includes natural persons as well as all other organizations, corporations, and associations, both public and private.
VOICE DIALER CONNECTIONS
Monitoring systems which, upon activation of an alarm system, automatically dial a predetermined telephone number and communicate tape-recorded voice messages to the recipients of the telephone calls.
On and after the effective date of this chapter, it shall be unlawful for any person to communicate with the Department of Emergency Services by means of a voice dialer connection. Such communication with the Department of Emergency Services shall only be by means of a direct alarm connection or a digital dialer connection.
All direct alarm connections and digital dialer connections shall employ such communications technology as, in the judgment of the Director of the Department of Emergency Services or his designee, is necessary to insure sufficient and adequate alarm monitoring by the Department of Emergency Services and/or its designated contractor.
The fee for such alarm monitoring service, payable to the County of Delaware, shall be the prevailing fee set forth from time to time by resolution of County Council and, as to the County's designated contractor, shall be that contained in his contract with the County. Upon nonpayment of such fees for any particular calendar period, the Director of the Department of Emergency Services shall terminate the alarm monitoring service for such person. No fees shall be refunded in the event that alarm monitoring service is terminated by the Director of the Department of Emergency Services for violations of § 11-3 of this chapter.[2]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
[2]
Editor's Note: Original Sec. 5, regarding termination of service for excessive false alarms, and original Sec. 6, regarding penalties for violation of Sec. 2, which immediately followed this section, were deleted at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
Alarm monitoring services shall not be terminated for any person, save for nonpayment of fees, except after a hearing before the Director of the Department of Emergency Services held in accordance with the provisions of the Local Agencies Law, 2 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 551 through 555 and 751 through 754. Unless such person demands the presence, at his own expense, of a court reporter, pursuant to the provisions of the Local Agencies Law, the record shall be maintained by tape recording in lieu of transcription and all persons testifying shall be advised that their testimony is given pursuant to the provisions of 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 4904 (unsworn falsifications to authorities).
To determine fees charged, separate connections shall be required for police, fire, medical alert, and other particular types of public safety emergencies. The Director of the Department of Emergency Services may require more than one connection for a particular type of emergency if the facility is of such size as to require more precise identification of the specific emergency site.