[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town of Georgetown 6-11-1990, Annual Town
Meeting, Art. 17. Amendments noted where applicable.]
No person shall install, operate or maintain
a fire, intrusion or medical alert alarm system which is connected
by direct line to the Georgetown Communication Center (GCC), or which
incorporates a telephone dialing device programmed to dial a local
police, fire or emergency telephone number automatically, or which
uses exterior audible signals at the alarm location, unless such person
first obtains a permit from the Chief of Police who shall be in charge
of the GCC and thereafter complies with applicable rules and regulations
and pays any applicable fees.
No person shall intentionally transmit any false
fire, intrusion or medical alert alarm. Repeated transmissions of
false fire, intrusion or medical alert alarms after notice of a system
malfunction from the GCC shall constitute an intentional transmission
of a false fire, intrusion or medical alert alarm.
Violation of this chapter shall be punishable
by a fine of up to but not more than $200.
Fire and intrusion alarm systems shall include
systems connected to the Georgetown Communication Center (GCC) by
direct wire or on a telephone dial-up basis and systems which use
an exterior audible signal at the alarm location.
The Police Chief may promulgate such rules and
regulations as may be necessary for the implementation of this chapter,
subject to the approval of the Board of Selectmen.
A.
Any current or future alarm may contract with an alarm
company of their choice for the purchase, lease, installation and
servicing of an alarm system on their premises.
B.
C.
The only types of systems which will be allowed to
connect to the GCC will be systems which utilize leased lines, telephone
dialers equipped with digital transmitters or such other types as
deemed compatible with the GCC console.
D.
Existing telephone dialers using voice-type tape recorders,
which are not compatible with the alarm console, may continue to use
special alarm numbers set up only for this purpose. New applications
for voice-type tape systems will not be approved.
E.
Actual connection to the GCC alarm console will only
be made by the Town's designated alarm contractor. Alarm users will
be required to pay the alarm contractor for this service as set forth
in a contract between the contractor and the alarm user.
A.
Each alarm user shall submit to the GCC the names,
address and telephone numbers of two persons who can be reached at
any time, day or night, who are authorized to gain access to the protected
premises for the purpose of silencing and resetting the alarm system.
It shall be the alarm system users responsibility to keep this information
up to date.
B.
This regulation shall apply to all alarm systems,
i.e., those connected to the GCC and those equipped with exterior
audible signal devices.
C.
All alarm users must notify the GCC in advance of
any testing of the equipment. Failure to do so may constitute a false
alarm and therefore be subject to fee assessment.
D.
All alarm systems which are nonrecycling and which
use an exterior audible signal which is programmed to provide a single
alarm duration shall be equipped with an automatic shutoff which will
silence the exterior device within 30 minutes.
E.
Any direct wire user who has multiple purpose alarms,
ie., fire and intrusion, intrusion and medical aide, or any combination
thereof, must provide for individual multiple alarm connections to
the GCC.
A.
Alarm systems which generate false alarms in any twelve-month
period shall be subject to assessment as follows:
Intrusion Alarm System
| ||
---|---|---|
False Alarm
|
Assessment
| |
1-2
|
None
| |
3-5
|
$50.00
| |
6-9
|
$75.00
| |
10-
|
$100.00
|
Fire Alarm Systems
| ||
---|---|---|
False Alarm
|
Assessment
| |
1-2
|
None
| |
3-4
|
$150.00
| |
5-
|
$200.00
|
B.
False alarms caused by faulty telephone service, electrical
storms or major power outages will be excluded from this agreement.
C.
Determination that a false alarm has been transmitted
will be the responsibility of the Police Chief or Fire Chief or their
duly appointed duty officer.
D.
Payment of assessments will be to the Town Collector.
E.
Upon failure of an alarm user to pay two consecutive
fees assessed hereunder within 60 days of the assessment, the alarm
user shall discontinue the use of the alarm system for not more than
six months.
F.
Town, county and state agencies are exempt from the
provisions of the assessment schedule.
G.
False alarms generated within the first 30 days after
connection is made to the GCC alarm console either via direct line
or digital dial-up transmission will be excluded from assessment.
This shall apply to both new and redesigned systems.
The following acts and omissions shall constitute
a violation of these regulations and shall be punishable as set forth
in this chapter:
A.
Failure to follow an order issued by the head of the
GCC to disconnect a direct wire system from the alarm console, or
to disable a telephone dialer arranged to dial the digital alarm console
or the special alarm telephone numbers.
B.
Provision, after the effective date of these regulations,
of a telephone dialing device arranged to dial a police, fire or emergency
number.
C.
Failure to disconnect, after notification, an unauthorized
telephone dialing device arranged to dial police, fire or emergency
number.
D.
Failure to pay two or more consecutive fees assessed under § 6-8 of this chapter within 60 days from the date of the second assessment.
F.
Continued transmission of false alarms caused by user's
negligence or system malfunctions on user's premises which is under
the user's control, and where no effective effort is made the condition.
An alarm user wishing to appeal a decision of the Police or Fire Chief pursuant to § 6-8 of this chapter may within 15 calendar days of the fee assessment request in writing a hearing with the Board of Selectmen.
[Added 5-7-2007 ATM, Art. 17]
A.
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM OWNER
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Definitions.
Any heat-activated, smoke-activated, flame-energy-activated
or other such automatic device capable of transmitting a fire alarm
signal directly to the Georgetown Fire Department.
An individual or entity who owns the title to and/or has
on his business or residential premises a fire alarm system equipped
to send a fire alarm signal directly to the Georgetown Fire Department.
The Georgetown Fire Department.
B.
Connection of fire alarm system to the fire department.
(1)
Before any fire alarm system is connected to the Fire
Department, the owner shall provide the Fire Department with the following
information:
(a)
The name, address, home and work telephone numbers
of the owner;
(b)
The street address where the master box is located;
(c)
The names, addresses and telephone numbers of the
persons or businesses protected by the fire alarm system.
(d)
The names, addresses, home and work telephone numbers
of at least two persons other than the owner who can be contacted
24 hours a day who are authorized by the fire alarm system owner to
respond to an alarm signal and who have access to the premises; and
(e)
Such other relevant information as the Fire Chief
may require.
(2)
The owner of a fire alarm system connected to the Fire Department as of the effective date of this bylaw shall comply with the requirements of § 6-11B(1)(a) through (e) of this bylaw within 60 days after the effective date of this bylaw.
C.
Fee for connection of fire alarm system to Fire Department.
The owner of each fire alarm system connected directly to the Fire
Department shall pay an annual fee of $250 upon commencement of each
fiscal year; a fire alarm system owner whose fire alarm system is
connected directly to the Fire Department after the start of the fiscal
year shall pay such annual fee upon connection.