The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article,
shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where
the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
A sudden unexpected occurrence which requires immediate response
and/or action on the part of a City agency.
Those services maintained by the City which provide for the
protection of life and property. Generally these services consist
of the Police Department and the Fire Department, to include emergency
medical services.
A telephone access number used to make contact with emergency
services; specifically, the digits activated on a telephone device
by depressing or dialing the digit nine followed by the digit one
followed by the digit one.
The hardware, software, telephone lines and service, personnel,
procedures and other related activity connected with the operation
and maintenance of the emergency access number.
There is hereby adopted by the City for the purpose of providing
the citizens of the City direct telephone access to emergency services,
a common access number for all City emergency agencies. The designated
access number shall be consistent with the national standard emergency
number and is hereby designated as the digits "911." Such emergency
access number and any related activity shall be referred to in this
article as the "911 system."
Except as provided for elsewhere in this article, the Chief
of the Police Department and the Chief of the Fire Department shall
jointly oversee the operation of the 911 system. Nothing in this article
shall prevent the Chief of the Police Department and the Chief of
the Fire Department from assigning a subordinate employee to oversee
operations at their direction.
Personnel who are employed by the City Police Department and
who are assigned to the operation of the 911 system are hereby authorized
to take necessary steps to ensure that users of the 911 system are
not in violation of this article. Specifically, these employees are
authorized to record such violations, issue warnings to violators,
issue orders to violators to cease the activity which caused or is
causing the violation, and to request prosecution by sworn law enforcement
personnel if the violating activity is not ceased after a warning/order
is issued.
Except as otherwise provided in this article, the 911 system
shall be used only as a means of contacting the emergency services
of the City for the following purposes:
(1)
Reporting any situation which the caller reasonably believes is of
an emergency nature and requires the response of emergency personnel
and equipment.
(2)
Requesting assistance for the caller and/or for a third party who
is or has been exposed to a situation which has caused harm, injury,
illness, distress or similar conditions.
(3)
Reporting or notifying law enforcement personnel of a crime, incident
or action which has happened or is reasonably expected to happen and
which the caller reasonably believes to be a violation of a state,
county or federal law or municipal ordinance.
(4)
Reporting or notifying Fire Department personnel of a situation which
has occurred or is reasonably likely to occur and which the caller
reasonably believes requires the services of the Fire Department personnel
and/or equipment.
(5)
Reporting any other situation, occurrence, incident or event which
is of a nature so as to cause a loss of life, destruction of property
or injury to persons or animals.
Any use of the 911 system contrary to the uses defined in Section 30-80 is a violation of this article. Specifically, the 911 system is not to be used for the following purposes:
(1)
Questions of general information such as travel directions, weather
conditions, road conditions, school closings.
(2)
Questions regarding event times or locations.
(3)
Requests for services which are not of an emergency nature.
(4)
Administrative conversations or messages.
(5)
Any blatant, willful, intentional or negligent act which does not
otherwise conform to the intended use of the system and causes or
is likely to cause a disruption of any duration to the 911 system.
Any person in violation of any of the provisions of this article
shall be deemed guilty of a civil infraction and upon conviction thereof
shall be fined in an amount no less than $100 and no more than $500.
Each call placed by a person which is in violation of the provisions
of this article shall be considered as a separate violation and shall
be subject to the aforementioned fine for each violation.
