[Ord. 97-286, 12/4/1997, § 40.1]
This part is adopted for the following purposes.
A.
To provide for penalties to principal owners, operators, tenants,
and other individuals responsible for false alarms resulting in a
response by emergency service personnel.
B.
To encourage the use of appropriate alarm installation practices
to prevent or minimize false alarms that require the response of public
safety personnel.
[Ord. 97-286, 12/4/1997, § 40.2]
1.
Words used in the present tense shall include the future. The singular
shall include the plural, and the plural the singular. The word "person"
includes a corporation and unincorporated association.
2.
ALARM
ALARM AGENT
ALARM SYSTEM
AUDIBLE ALARM
CENTRAL STATION SYSTEM
FALSE ALARM
INADVERTENT FALSE ALARM
INTENTIONAL FALSE ALARM
SILENT ALARM
As used in this part, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:
a communication to the police, fire, or emergency medical
service departments indicating that a crime, fire, or other emergency
situation warranting immediate action by the police, fire, or emergency
medical service departments has occurred or is occurring.
any firm, corporation or person who conducts the business
of owning, operating, maintaining, installing, leasing, or selling
automatic protection devices and whose duties include any of the following:
selling, maintaining, leasing, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing,
moving, or installing in or on any building place or premises any
automatic protection device, as defined in this part, within Cranberry
Township.
any electrically operated instrument composed of sensors
and related hardware that automatically signals by wire, telephone,
radio signal, or other means to a person who, in turn, notifies the
Butler County Communications Center of the alarm. Alarm systems also
include equipment to activate a bell or sounding device to be heard
outside a building which is intended to alert the police or others
to the existence of a crime, fire, or other emergency situation warranting
action by emergency services, upon receipt of a stimulus from a sensor
that has detected a physical force or condition characteristic of
a fire, intrusion, or other emergency.
any device, bell, horn, or siren which is attached to the
interior or exterior of a building and emits a warning signal audible
outside the building, which signal is designed to attract attention
when activated by an intrusion or other emergency requiring police
or service response.
any protective system or group of systems operated privately
for customers by an alarm agent; a firm; or a corporation that accepts
messages or signals from alarm systems at a central station having
operators in attendance at all times who have the duty to take appropriate
action upon receipt of a signal or message, including the relaying
of messages by designated or direct trunk line to the Butler County
Communications Center.
an alarm to which police, fire, or other emergency service
personnel respond resulting from the activation of an alarm device
when a crime, fire, or other emergency warranting immediate action
has not in fact occurred.
an alarm system activated in the absence of an emergency,
whether by inadvertence, negligence, or unintentional act, including
any mechanical or electrical malfunction of the alarm system, to which
a public safety person actually responds.
a false alarm resulting from the intentional activation of
an alarm device by an individual under circumstances where that individual
has no reasonable basis to believe that a crime, fire, or other emergency
warranting immediate action has occurred or is occurring.
a protective system that does not emit an audible signal
or tone when activated at a protected site and is monitored by a central
station system.
[Ord. 97-286, 12/4/1997, § 40.3]
1.
Audible alarms, other than fire alarms, must be equipped with a timing
mechanism which will disengage the audible alarm after a maximum period
of 10 minutes if the system activates on or near the premises. Exceptions
shall be made for certified systems requiring longer sounding alarms
for insurance purposes, providing that certification and policy requirements
are documented with the Township, and further providing that these
devices are equipped with timers to disengage the audible alarm after
the minimum time required for certification.
2.
The sensory mechanism used in conjunction with an alarm device must
be adjusted to suppress false indications of fire or intrusion, so
that the alarm device will not be activated by impulses due to transient
pressure changes in water lines, short flashes of light, wind effects
such as rattling or vibration of doors or windows, vehicular noises
adjacent to the premises, or other forces unrelated to genuine alarm
situations.
3.
The alarm device must be maintained in good repair to assure reliable
operation.
4.
No person shall conduct or test any alarm device without first notifying
the alarm agent to ensure that the alarm or signal is not relayed
to the Butler County Communications Center.
[Ord. 97-286, 12/4/1997, § 40.4; as amended by
Ord. 2005-362, 12/15/2005]
1.
The Township Manager shall develop and implement the necessary procedures
for the effective administration and enforcement of this part.
A.
The Director of Public Safety shall ensure that a report is submitted
for each alarm activation requiring public safety response.
B.
The Director of Public Safety or his designee will read the report,
review the records to confirm the number of prior alarms at the address,
and determine if a false alarm charge is due under the Township's
ordinance.
2.
False Alarms.
A.
The principal owner, operator, tenant, or other individual responsible
for the facility from which a false alarm emanated shall pay to the
Township a charge for each and every false alarm to which the police,
fire, ambulance corps, and/or other emergency service respond, in
each calendar year, as specified in the fee resolution.
B.
The charges imposed by this part in conjunction with the fee schedule
shall not apply in the following circumstances.
(1)
The false alarm is due to weather conditions.
(2)
For new installations, documentation has been provided that
the alarm system was initially installed within six months prior to
the false alarm, no more that three false alarms have occurred since
the installation, and the false alarm is due to a system malfunction.
(3)
For installations more than six months old, the false alarm
is the first reported at the subject address during the calendar year.
(4)
An event occurred on the alarmed premises that could not have
been anticipated, and the alarm system detected the occurrence. Examples
might be a ceiling tile falling, a water pipe bursting, or a repairman
causing an inadvertent false alarm. Leaving a pet loose or a fan on
in a room protected by motion detection would not be events that would
be excused.
(5)
Multiple alarms emanating from an alarmed facility in a twelve-hour
period shall be treated as a single alarm.
C.
When a false alarm occurs, the Cranberry Township Director of Finance
shall notify the principal owner, operator, tenant, or other individual
responsible for the alarm system from which the false alarm emanated
that a false alarm charge is due and the amount thereof. The amount
of the charge (if any) will be determined by referring to the Cranberry
Township Fee Resolution. Such notice shall be in writing and mailed
to the last known address by regular mail, postage prepaid, of the
principal owner, operator, tenant or other individual responsible
for the alarm system.
D.
The principal owner, operator, tenant, or other individual responsible for the facility where the false alarm emanated may provide information in writing to the Director of Finance, Cranberry Township, providing evidence that one of the circumstances explained in § 13-304 (above) applied.
E.
A false alarm charge shall be due and payable to the Township 30
days from the date of the notice of the charge. If the amount is not
paid within the 30 day period, a certified letter shall be sent by
the Cranberry Township Director of Finance to the principal owner,
operator, tenant, or other individual responsible for the alarm system
of the alarmed facility demanding payment within 30 days. If payment
is still not made, a law enforcement officer will file a citation
with the district judge.
F.
Failure of a person responsible for the alarm system that originated the false alarm to pay a false alarm charge on or before the date due shall constitute a violation of the Chapter and shall subject said person to the penalties set forth in § 13-305, below.
G.
No individual shall create an intentional false alarm.
[Ord. 97-286, 12/4/1997, § 40.5; as amended by
Ord. 2005-362, 12/15/2005]
Any person, firm, partnership, or corporation who shall violate
any provision of this part or who shall fail to pay a charge for a
false alarm, upon conviction thereof in an action brought before a
district judge in the manner provided for the enforcement of summary
offenses under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, shall
be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000 plus costs and,
in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment
not to exceed 90 days. Each day that a violation of this part continues
or each section of this part which shall be found to have been violated
shall constitute a separate offense.