[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of Pleasant
Prairie 8-5-1991 (§ 9.18 of the 1988 Code). Amendments
noted where applicable.]
It is the intent of this chapter that the safety and welfare of the
public be promoted by efficient use of alarm systems requiring the response
of law enforcement or fire personnel. It is hereby recognized that well-maintained
alarm systems aid in the detection of crime and other emergency situations.
It is also recognized that negligently maintained alarm systems cause an undue
burden on law enforcement and fire protection and create dangers to members
of the responding agency and the public. It is the purpose of this chapter
to establish regulations relating to the installation, use and termination
of such alarms and to establish a Safety Building Central Alarm System, located
in the Pleasant Prairie Safety Building, under the jurisdiction of the Village
of Pleasant Prairie, to monitor alarms.
This chapter shall be liberally construed to give effect to its purpose.
It is intended that this chapter be interpreted to be consistent with applicable
state and federal law.
In this chapter, the following words shall have the following meanings:
- ALARM
- Any mechanical or electrical device which, upon being activated by a criminal act, fire, emergency, or any other reason, transmits a signal to the Safety Building Central Alarm System or to a central alarm system to elicit a response from law enforcement personnel or Fire Department personnel or which produces an audible or visual signal to notify members of the public within range of such signal of a need for help.
- AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE DIALING DEVICE
- Any electric or mechanical unit which has the capability of automatically dialing any telephone number programmed into it to deliver either a prerecorded voice message or other signal.
- A. A signal from an alarm resulting in response by Fire Department personnel when an emergency or a crime did not exist at the location of the alarm.
- B. A signal from an alarm resulting in response by law enforcement personnel when an emergency or a crime did not exist at the location of the alarm.
- C. "False alarm" does not include such a signal caused solely by a malfunction of equipment, unless said malfunction is due, in whole or in part, to failure of the owner or operator to maintain or arrange maintenance of said equipment according to the requirements of this chapter.
- FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL
- Members of Village of Pleasant Prairie Fire & Rescue Department.
- LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL
- Members of the Village of Pleasant Prairie Police Department.
- OWNER
- Any person, association, corporation, institution or organization who or which has a hookup to the Safety Building Central Alarm System or any other alarm system.
- PERSON
- Any individual, association, corporation, institution or organization.
- RESPONDING AGENCY
- The Pleasant Prairie Police Department and Pleasant Prairie Fire & Rescue Department.
A.
A central alarm system shall be maintained in the Pleasant
Prairie Safety Building at such location as the Police Chief shall designate.
B.
The Village Board and responding agencies shall determine
who shall be allowed an alarm connection or connections to the Safety Building
Central Alarm System, and the total number of connections to be made, according
to written policies developed by the Village Board and the responding agencies.
Said policies may be changed from time to time as deemed advisable by the
Village Board. The Village Board and responding agencies may consider, along
with other factors, state or federal laws or local regulations which require
certain persons to connect.
C.
Persons desiring to have an alarm system connection to
the Safety Building Central Alarm System shall file an application with the
Village Board. The Village Board shall forward copies of the application to
the responding agency for approval of the application. Written notice of the
decision of the responding agency shall be returned to the Village Board within
10 working days. Written notice of the decision of the responding agency and
Village Board on an application shall be mailed to the applicant at the address
given on the application within 30 days of the date of such application. No
person shall cause to be connected to the Safety Building Central Alarm System
without receiving prior written approval from the Village Board and responding
agencies.
D.
All approvals by the Village Board and responding agencies
for connection of alarm systems shall be subject to the following conditions:
(1)
The applicant shall use only alarm equipment that meets
minimum alarm device standards of Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc., and the
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and which shall be compatible
with the Safety Building Central Alarm System equipment.
(2)
All installation costs associated with connection to
the Safety Building Central Alarm System shall be borne by the applicant.
(3)
All costs associated with disconnection or termination
of service shall be borne by the applicant, whether such disconnection or
termination is required by the Village Board or the responding agency or by
choice of the owner. Such costs include the costs of termination and reconnection
in the event the Safety Building Central Alarm System is relocated.
(4)
The applicant shall cause the alarm system to be periodically
inspected and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations
and the requirements of the Village Board. The Village Board reserves the
right to inspect the applicant's equipment at any time for any reason related
to the efficient operation of the alarm system. Failure to allow inspection
shall be cause for immediate removal.
(5)
The applicant shall sign an agreement holding the Village
of Pleasant Prairie, its agents and employees, the Village Board and responding
agencies harmless for any and all damages or losses resulting directly or
indirectly from an alarm connection with the Safety Building Central Alarm
System.
(6)
The applicant shall pay a reasonable monitoring fee as
set by the Village Board.
A.
Any person who maintains an audible or visual alarm shall
use and install only alarm equipment which meets minimum alarm device standards
of Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc., and the National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) and shall regularly test, inspect, and maintain such equipment in accordance
with the manufacturer's recommendations in ensuring that such equipment is
in proper operating condition.
B.
No person shall sell, install or use an alarm which upon
activation emits a sound the same or similar to civil defense sirens or emergency
vehicle sirens.
C.
No audible residential alarms shall be permitted.
Private alarm companies, including persons engaged in the business of
monitoring burglary alarm systems, shall be responsible for the monitoring,
maintenance and use of private central alarm stations. Any such company shall
staff its central office during all hours said company operates and shall
dispatch a company representative to the location of any alarm in its system
immediately upon oral request of Pleasant Prairie police or the responding
agency's dispatch. Private alarm companies shall provide the Pleasant Prairie
Police Department or Pleasant Prairie Fire & Rescue Department or the
responding agency's dispatch with a telephone number at which a company representative
can be contacted at any time. When reporting an alarm to the Safety Building,
a caller from such company shall first identify the private alarm company
and the name of the caller.
No person shall intentionally cause the activation of an alarm device
if such person knows that no crime or emergency exists which requires law
enforcement personnel or Fire Department personnel to respond to such alarm.
A.
Persons with alarm systems intended to elicit a response
from law enforcement personnel or Fire Department personnel shall pay to the
Village Board a charge for false alarms responded to by such personnel according
to the following schedule for each calendar year, for each connection to the
Safety Building Central Alarm System:
B.
Where persons employ the services of a private alarm
company, said company shall be responsible for payment to the responding agencies
of the above-listed charges for false alarms responded to by law enforcement
personnel or Fire Department personnel.
C.
Each business, residence or other premises to which law
enforcement personnel or Fire Department personnel are dispatched or arrive
shall be considered a separate occurrence for purposes of determining the
number of false alarms.
The Village Board and responding agencies may, on 30 days' notice to
the owner, require the disconnection, at the owner's expense, of any alarm
system for any reason reasonably related to the intent and purpose of this
chapter, including but not limited to failure to pay monitoring fees, repeated
false alarms, repeated malfunctions of equipment, or failure to pay false
alarm fees.
Taped recorded dialers to the Pleasant Prairie Safety Building are not
permitted.
Any person found guilty of a violation of any of the provisions of this
chapter shall forfeit not less than $50 nor more than $500 for each such offence
and in default of payment thereof shall be imprisoned in the Kenosha County
Jail for a period of not more than 30 days.
Any person, association or corporation aggrieved by any decision of the Village Board or the responding agency under the terms of this chapter may appeal in writing to the Village Board, in care of the Village Clerk, within 10 days of receipt of notice of the reason such party believes it is aggrieved. All written notices provided by the Village Board and responding agencies pursuant to this chapter will be presumed to be received within four days of the date of mailing. The appropriate committee shall hear such grievance within 30 days of the date such grievance is filed with the Village Clerk. The procedures found in Ch. 68, Wis. Stats., shall govern such appeal.
