The purpose of this article is to establish a fine system for
any person, firm or corporation that fails to maintain its fire alarm
system, causing the Fire and Rescue Department to respond because
of the lack of maintenance.
[Amended 2-12-2020 by Ord. No. 2020.01.08-001]
The responsibility for a fire alarm activation shall be for
the premises in which the fire alarm system is installed. A response
to an alarm activation shall result when any officer or member of
the City of Dover Fire and Rescue Department shall be dispatched to
the premises where the alarm has been activated or learns of the activation
of the alarm system(s), by whatever means, and responds thereto by
traveling to those premises. After responding to an alarm activation,
the enforcement official may notify the owner of the property, or
his/her designee, of the activation of the alarm system, and such
person shall thereupon travel to the premises within 30 minutes of
notification to ascertain the status thereof. Should the person notified
fail to do so, the City shall charge the owner of the premises a fee
as provided in the City Fee Schedule. The officer or member of the
Dover Fire and Rescue Department who responded to said premises shall
serve the owner or authorized representative a fire alarm activation
report.
[Amended 2-12-2020 by Ord. No. 2020.01.08-001]
In the event of a fire alarm activation deemed by the Fire and
Rescue Department to be the result of a fire alarm malfunction, the
owner will be served a fire alarm activation report by an officer
or member of the Fire and Rescue Department, indicating that the activation
was deemed to be the result of a fire alarm malfunction and requiring
the owner to return a completed affidavit of service/repair within
15 days of said alarm activation which can verify to the satisfaction
of the enforcement official that the fire alarm system in question
has actually been examined by a fire alarm technician and that 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 fire alarm malfunction. Failure to return an affidavit
of service/repair within said fifteen-day period which is satisfactory
to the enforcement official will result in the assessment against
the owner of a fine as provided in the City Fine Schedule for the
fire alarm malfunction.[1]
