[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Rockaway 6-9-2022 by Ord. No. 08-22[1]. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Ch. 131, False Alarms, adopted 5-12-1988 by Ord. No. 7-88, as amended.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ALARMS
Any mechanical or electronic signal reporting by means of telephone cables or other means of transmission, which signals are monitored by the Rockaway Borough Fire Department at its headquarters, or an audible alarm which is heard and/or called in by another and which signals, upon receipt or upon activation, indicate to the Fire Department that any emergency exists at the sending location. Said alarms shall include those types installed to indicate fires at the sending location.
FALSE NOTIFICATIONS
Any fire report or request for fire service directed to the Fire Department by any means of any communication wherein the situation, condition, incident or emergency as subject of the report or request did not and does not exist.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
The Fire Department located within the Borough of Rockaway.
KNOX BOX
A secured, locked device that is located on the exterior of the premises at or near the main entrance which can be accessed by the Rockaway Borough Fire Department in the event that an alarm is activated and it is or becomes necessary to gain access to the premises in order to adequately determine the cause of the activation of the alarm.
PERSON
Any individual, partnership, association, syndicate, company, firm, trust, corporation, department, bureau, agency, or other entity recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties.
The Bureau of Fire Prevention, Fire Official and the Subcode Official shall have the power and the duty to enforce the provisions of this chapter.
A. 
The provision of this chapter shall apply to any person who operates, maintains or owns any alarm device or local alarm designed to summon Fire Departments to any location in response to any type of alarm signal. This chapter shall not apply to municipally owned property. In the case of a false alarm, the Fire Chief or designated representative shall notify the Chief/fIre Official who shall issue the appropriate penalty. For such false alarms, the Council prescribes that the following penalties shall be assessed for each false alarm occurring within a twelve-month period.
(1) 
The penalties shall be assessed as follows:
False Alarm
Single- and Two-Family Residences
All Others
2nd
$0
$250
3rd
$50
$350
4th
$75
$450
5th
$100
$550
6th
$125
$650
7th
$150
$750
8th
$175
$850
9th
$200
$950
Tenth and any subsequent false alarms within a 12-month period
$225
$1,050
(2) 
Any person or persons who shall maliciously cause a false alarm of fire shall be subject to a fine of not more than $200 per offense.
(3) 
Any person who knowingly resets an active fire alarm before the Fire Department arrival shall be subject to a penalty not to exceed $500 per occurrence.
B. 
Precautions to prevent false alarms; notifications.
(1) 
The owner shall take all necessary steps to ascertain immediately the cause of any false alarm and shall alleviate the problem. Failure by the owner to take reasonable precautions to avoid false alarms shall be deemed to be in violation of the Uniform Fire Code.
(2) 
All fire alarm panels shall be labeled with a notification sticker as approved by the Borough of Rockaway. This shall serve as your written warning with all false alarms that occur without notification shall be subject to penalties.
(3) 
The following notification shall be made prior to the testing of any fire alarm or sprinkler system:
(a) 
Monitoring company;
(b) 
Morris County Dispatch; and
(c) 
Fire Marshal.
C. 
Testing of alarm equipment. Testing of alarms required by the Uniform Fire Code without prior notice to Morris County Dispatch and the Fire Marshal shall be in violation of the Uniform Fire Code and a maximum penalty of $500 shall be issued.
A. 
Response to fire alarms. Upon the activation of a fire alarm or other fire emergency in any structure other than a one- or two-family dwelling, the owner, tenant, occupant, or their designated representative shall respond to the structure in order to reset the alarm system. The designated representative shall respond to the structure within 30 minutes. If no one in the organization resides in close enough proximity to respond within the required thirty-minute time period, such person, persons, organization or entity shall be notified after the occurrence of the first alarm that they are required to have a Knox Box installed on the premises.
B. 
Evacuation of premises.
(1) 
When a fire alarm occurs in any building, structure or premises containing a fire alarm or fire protection system, the occupants will be notified and, once so notified, shall immediately leave the structure or premises. Once notified, no persons shall enter or reenter, until so authorized to do so by the Fire Chief, fire official or his/her representative.
(2) 
Any person who refuses to leave, interferes with the evacuation of the occupants or continues any operation after having been given an evacuation order, except such work as that person is allowed to perform, shall be deemed in violation of the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code and shall be subject to the penalties as provided therein.
(3) 
The Fire Chief or his/her representative shall certify, in writing, to the Chief/Fire Official any violation of the above prior to the issuance of any notice of violation or penalty. The certification shall include the name of any occupant who failed to evacuate and the date and time of such occurrence.
Enforcement, violations, and penalties shall be managed in conformity with the Uniform Fire Safety Act, the Uniform Fire Code and all other laws of the State of New Jersey.