The Town Board of the Town of East Fishkill has determined that it is in the public interest to regulate the installation of monitored fire and burglar alarms within the Town of East Fishkill. The purpose of this is to help to eliminate the high incidence of false alarms and/or nuisance intrusions alarms that are a threat to the health, safety and welfare of the public service workers of the Town of East Fishkill. Additionally, the Town recognizes the importance of providing the Fire Department with rapid entry into locked buildings. Any delay in gaining entry could result in substantial property damage, the potential for rapid fire extension and increased danger to the fire fighters. It is for these purposes that this chapter is adopted.
The following words and terms shall have the following meanings:
ADOPTED CODE(S)
Fire Code of New York State, the National Fire Protection Association National Fire Alarm Code 72 (NFPA 72), 1999 Edition, and Title 19, Part 195, of the New York State Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations, pertaining to the business of installing, servicing and maintaining security or fire alarm systems as regulated by Article 6D, New York State General Business Law.
ADVISORY BOARD
Persons designated by a governing authority that should be representative of the community, alarm users, the alarm industry, and law enforcement. The Advisory Board should review and recommend false alarm reduction efforts and report to the governing authority.
ALARM
An audible alarm system signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation requiring law enforcement response.
ALARM ADMINISTRATOR
The Town of East Fishkill Building Inspector or Deputy or any individual designated by the governing authority to administer, control and review false alarm reduction efforts and administer the provisions of this chapter.
ALARM CALENDAR YEAR
The period from January 1 until the next succeeding December 31, except for the first year during which an alarm permit is issued which year shall commence on the date of permit issuance and shall end on the next succeeding December 31.
ALARM DISPATCH REQUEST
A notification to a law enforcement agency that an alarm, either manual or automatic, has been activated at a particular alarm site.
ALARM-INITIATING DEVICE
A device that is designed to respond either manually or automatically to smoke, fire, gas/fumes or activation of a fire suppression system.
ALARM INSTALLATION COMPANY
A person in the business of selling, providing, maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving or installing an alarm system in an alarm site.
ALARM REGISTRATION OR PERMITS
Authorization granted by the Alarm Administrator to an alarm user to operate an alarm system.
ALARM SITE
A single fixed premises or location served by an alarm system or systems. Each unit, if served by a separate alarm system in a multi-unit building or complex, shall be considered a separate alarm site.
ALARM SYSTEM
A device or series of devices, including, but not limited to, hardwired systems and systems interconnected with a radio frequency method such as cellular or private radio signals, which emit or transmit a remote or local audible, visual or electronic signal indicating an alarm condition and intended to summon law enforcement response, including local alarm systems. “Alarm system” does not include an alarm installed in a vehicle or on someone's person unless the vehicle or the personal alarm is permanently located at a site.
ALARM TECHNICIAN
Any person who inspects, installs, repairs or performs maintenance on alarm systems. This person shall be qualified pursuant to Article 6D of the New York State General Business Law.
ALARM USER
Any person, who (which) has contracted for monitoring, repair, installation or maintenance service from an alarm installation company or monitoring company for an alarm system, or who (which) owns or operates an alarm system which is not monitored, maintained or repaired under contract.
ARMING STATION
A device that allows control of an alarm system.
AUTOMATIC VOICE DIALER
Any electrical, electronic, mechanical, or other device capable of being programmed to send a prerecorded voice message, when activated, over a telephone line, radio or other communication system, to a law enforcement, public safety or emergency services agency requesting dispatch.
CANCELLATION
The process where response is terminated when a monitoring company (designated by the alarm user) for the alarm site notifies the responding law enforcement agency that there is not an existing situation at the alarm site requiring law enforcement agency response after an alarm dispatch request.
CENTRAL STATION FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
A system or group of systems in which the operations or circuits and devices are transmitted automatically to, recorded in, maintained by and supervised from a listed central station.
CONVERSION
The transaction or process by which one alarm installation company or monitoring company begins the servicing and/or monitoring of a previously unmonitored alarm system or an alarm system previously serviced and/or monitored by another alarm company.
DURESS ALARM
A silent alarm system signal generated by the entry of a designated code into an arming station in order to signal that the alarm user is being forced to turn off the system and requires law enforcement response.
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL
The Town of East Fishkill Police Department, the Building Inspector, or his designated representative.
FALSE ALARM
An alarm dispatch request to a law enforcement agency, when the responding law enforcement officer finds no evidence of a criminal offense or attempted criminal offense after having completed a timely investigation of the alarm site.
FALSE FIRE ALARM
The activation of any fire alarm system which results in a response by the Fire Department and which is caused by the negligence or intentional misuse of the fire alarm system by the owner, its employees, agents or any other activation of a fire alarm system not caused by heat, smoke or fire, exclusive of a nuisance fire alarm.
FEE
The assessment of a monetary charge payable to the Town of East Fishkill Building Department jurisdiction authorized pursuant to this chapter, to defray the expenses of responding to a false fire alarm or nuisance fire alarm.
FIRE ALARM ACTIVATION REPORT
A document issued by the enforcement official or Fire Department indicating that the activation was deemed to be the result of a fire alarm activation due to fire, a nuisance fire alarm, or a false fire alarm.
FIRE ALARM BUSINESS
Any individual, partnership, corporation or other entity that is appropriately licensed by the State of New York and installs, causes to be installed, permits to be installed, alters, maintains, repairs, replaces or services any fire alarm system.
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
A system or portion of a combination system consisting of components and circuits arranged to monitor and/or exterior annunciate the status of a fire alarm device, supervisory signal-initiating device or gas detector and to initiate the appropriate response to those signals.
FIRE WATCH
An enforcement official approved person or persons assigned to the premises for the purpose of protecting the occupants from fire or similar emergencies. A fire watch may involve at least some special action beyond normal staffing, such as assigning an additional security guard(s) to walk the premises who has been specially trained in fire prevention and in the use of fire extinguishers, in notifying the Fire Department, in sounding the fire alarm system located on the premises, and in understanding the particular firesafety situation.
HOLDUP ALARM
A silent alarm signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a robbery in progress.
LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY
The Commissioner, Superintendent, Sheriff, Chief of Police, director or other authorized representative of a law enforcement agency.
LICENSE
This person shall be qualified pursuant to Article 6D of the New York State General Business Law.
LISTED
Equipment, materials, or services included in a list published by an organization that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.
LOCAL ALARM SYSTEM
Any alarm system, which is not monitored, that annunciates an alarm only at the alarm site.
MONITORED SYSTEM
The process by which a fire alarm business receives signals from a fire alarm system and notifies emergency forces.
MONITORING
The process by which a monitoring company receives signals from an alarm system and relays an alarm dispatch request to the municipality for the purpose of summoning law enforcement to the alarm site.
MONITORING COMPANY
A person in the business of providing monitoring services.
NUISANCE FIRE ALARM
The activation of any fire alarm system, which results in a response by the Fire Department, caused by mechanical failure, malfunction, improper installation, lack of proper maintenance or any other response for which the Fire Department personnel are unable to determine the apparent cause of the alarm activation.
ONE PLUS DURESS ALARM
The manual activation of a silent alarm signal by entering at an arming station a code that adds one to the last digit of the normal arm/disarm code (e.g., normal code: 1234, one plus duress code: 1235).
OWNER
Any person who owns the premises in which a fire alarm system is installed or the person or persons who lease, operate, occupy or manage the premises.
PERSON
An individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization or similar entity.
PREMISES
Any building, structure or combination of buildings and structures which serve as dwelling units such as single-family, multifamily or any other area within a building, structure or combination thereof which is used for any purpose, wherein a fire alarm system is installed.
QUALIFIED FIRE ALARM TECHNICIAN
Any person who inspects, installs, repairs or performs maintenance on fire alarm systems. This person shall be qualified pursuant to Article 6D of the New York State General Business Law.
RECORD OF COMPLETION
The completion of a form equivalent to the record of completion form included in the National Fire Protection Association's National Fire Alarm Code (NFPA 72).
REGISTRATION
The notification by an owner to the enforcement official that a fire alarm system has been installed and is in use.
REMOTE SUPERVISING STATION FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS
A facility that receives signals and at which personnel are in attendance at all times to respond to these signals.
REPORT OF SERVICE/REPAIR
Appropriate documentation in a format acceptable to the enforcement official that verifies proper repairs or maintenance has been performed by both the fire alarm business and the owner.
RESIDENTIAL
Detached one- and two-family dwellings and multiple single-family dwellings (townhouses) not more than three stories in height.
RESPONDER
An individual capable of reaching the alarm site within 30 minutes and having access to the alarm site, the code to the alarm system and the authority to approve repairs to the alarm system.
RUNNER SERVICE
The service provided by a runner at the protected premises, including resetting and silencing of all equipment transmitting fire alarm or supervisory signals to an off-premises location.
SERVE
Hand-delivery of written notification by a representative of the jurisdiction to the owner or authorized representative who responded to the premises. In the event the owner or authorized representative fails to respond to the premises within one hour, "serve" shall mean placing the form or other matter in the United States Mail; postage prepaid, addressed to the owner or authorized representative.
TAKEOVER
The transaction or process by which an alarm user takes over control of an existing alarm system which was previously controlled by another alarm user.
VERIFY
An attempt by the monitoring company, or its representative, to contact the alarm site by telephonic or other electronic means, whether or not actual contact with a person is made, to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting law enforcement dispatch, in an attempt to avoid an unnecessary alarm dispatch request.
ZONES
Division of devices into which an alarm system is divided to indicate the general location from which an alarm system signal is transmitted.