[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township
of Schuylkill as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
[Adopted 5-5-2017 by Ord.
No. 2017-02]
The following words and terms shall, for the purposes of this
article and as used elsewhere in this Code, have the meanings shown
herein.
Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International.
Chester County Department of Emergency Services.
Federal Communications Commission.
National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee.
A.
Except as otherwise provided, no person shall erect, construct, alter,
refit, change the use of, or provide an addition of more than 20%
of the existing floor area to, any commercial, industrial or institutional
building or structure or any part thereof, or cause the same to be
done, which fails to support adequate radio coverage for Chester County
Department of Emergency Services (CCDES), the Valley Forge Volunteer
Fire Department, and the Schuylkill Township Police Department. For
the purposes of this article, adequate radio coverage shall include
all of the following:
(1)
A minimum signal strength of -95dBm available in 95% for the area
of each floor of the building.
(2)
A minimum signal strength of -95dBm received at the closest CCDES
radio communications site when transmitted from 95% of the area of
each floor of the building.
(3)
The frequency range which must be supported shall be between 763
MHz and 861 MHz.
(4)
A ninty-percent reliability factor.
(5)
Signal strength measurements, for the purpose of measuring the performance
of a bidirectional amplifier, shall be based on one input signal adequate
to obtain a maximum continuous operating output level.
B.
The provisions of this article shall become applicable upon notification
to the property owner that unacceptable performance levels exist.
The property owner shall have 90 days from date of notification to
enhance radio coverage and bring it within the acceptable limits of
these provisions.
Commercial, industrial and institutional buildings and structures
which cannot support the required level of radio coverage shall be
equipped with either a radiating cable system or an internal multiple
antenna system with or without FCC type accepted bidirectional 700/800
MHz amplifiers as needed. If any part of the installed system or systems
contains an electrically powered component, the system shall be capable
of operating on an independent battery and/or generator system for
a period of at least 12 hours without external power input. The battery
system shall charge in the presence of an external power input.
A.
Acceptance test procedure.
(1)
When an in-building radio system is required, and upon completion
of installation, it will be the building owner's responsibility
to have the radio system tested to ensure that two-way coverage on
each floor of the building is a minimum of 95%. Each floor of the
building shall be divided into a grid of approximately 20 equal areas.
A maximum of two nonadjacent areas will be allowed to fail the test.
In the event that three of the areas fail the test, in order to be
more statistically accurate, the floor may be divided in 40 equal
areas. In such event, a maximum of four nonadjacent areas will be
allowed to fail the test. After the 40 area test, if the system continues
to fail, the building owner shall have the system altered to meet
the ninety-five-percent coverage requirement.
(2)
The test shall be conducted using the most current portable radio
or its equivalent, available to the Schuylkill Township Police and/or
Valley Forge Volunteer Fire Department, talking through the CCDES
as specified by the authority having jurisdiction. A spot located
approximately in the center of a grid area will be selected for the
test, then the radio will be keyed to verify two-way communications
to and from the outside of the building through the CCDES. Once the
spot has been selected, prospecting for a better spot within the grid
area will not be permitted.
(3)
The gain values of all amplifiers shall be measured and the test
measurement results shall be kept on file with the building owner
so that the measurements can be verified each year during the annual
tests. In the event that the measurements results become lost, the
building owner will be required to rerun the acceptance test to reestablish
the gain values.
B.
Annual tests. When an in-building radio system is required, the building
owner shall test all active components of the system, including but
not limited to amplifiers, power supplies and backup batteries, a
minimum of once every 12 months. Amplifiers shall be tested to ensure
that the gain is the same as it was upon initial installation and
acceptance. Backup batteries and power supplies shall be tested under
load for a period of one hour to verify that they will properly operate
during an actual power outage. If within the one-hour test period,
in the opinion of the testing technician, the battery exhibits symptoms
of failure, the test shall be extended for additional one-hour periods
until the testing technician confirms the integrity of the battery.
All other active components shall be checked to determine that they
are operating within the manufacturer's specifications for the
intended period.
C.
Five-year tests. In addition to the annual test, the building owner
shall perform a radio coverage test a minimum of once every five years
to ensure that the radio system continues to meet the requirements
of the original acceptance test. The procedure set forth above shall
apply to such tests. A copy of the accepted tests shall be provided
to the Chester County Department of Emergency Services.
D.
Qualifications of testing personnel. All tests shall be conducted,
documented and signed by a person in possession of a current FCC technician
license, or a current technician certification issued by APCO, NABER,
or PCIA. All test records shall be retained on the inspected premises
by the building owner and a copy submitted to officials of the Schuylkill
Township Police Department and the Valley Forge Volunteer Fire Department.
Police and fire personnel, after providing reasonable notice
to the owner or his representative, shall have the right to enter
onto the property to conduct field testing to be certain that the
required level of radio coverage is present.
