[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Perkasie 12-16-1991 as Ord. No. 688. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Police Department — See Ch. 40.
Fire prevention — See Ch. 92.
This chapter shall be known as the "Emergency Alarm Ordinance."
The purpose of this chapter is to promote the health, safety and general welfare of the inhabitants of the Borough of Perkasie.
Certain words and phrases used in this chapter shall have the meanings ascribed as follows:
ALARM EQUIPMENT VENDOR
Any person, firm or corporation who or which sells or leases or installs or maintains alarm equipment.
ANSWERING SERVICE
A service whereby trained employees, in attendance at all times, receive messages from automatic protection devices reporting an emergency at a stated location and who have the duty to relay immediately such emergency message over a designated or direct trunkline to the Bucks County Radio Room.
AUDIBLE ALARM
Any device, bell, horn or siren which is attached to the interior or exterior of a building and emits a warning signal audible outside the building and designed to attract attention when activated by a criminal act or other emergency requiring the Police or Fire Department to respond.
AUTOMATIC PROTECTION DEVICE
An electrically operated instrument composed of sensory apparatus and related hardware which automatically transmits a prerecorded alarm over regular telephone line by direct or indirect communication to the Police or Fire Department of Perkasie Borough upon receipt of a stimulus from a sensory apparatus that has detected a physical force or condition inherently characteristic of intrusion or fire.
CENTRAL STATION PROTECTION SYSTEM
A protective system, or group of such systems, operated privately for customers by a person, firm or corporation which maintains supervisors and accepts recorded messages from automatic protection devices at a central station having trained operators and guards in attendance at all times that have the duty to take appropriate action upon receipt of a signal or message, including the relaying of messages by designated or primary trunkline to the Bucks County Radio Room.
FALSE ALARM
Any signal activated by an automatic protection device, any audible alarm or other kind of direct or indirect signal or message given to the Perkasie Borough Police or Fire Department which is not the result of unauthorized entry, fire or similar emergency.
A. 
Timing mechanism required on audible alarms. After enactment, owners or lessees must equip audible alarms with a timing mechanism that will disengage the audible alarm after a maximum period of 15 minutes. Audible alarms without such a timing mechanism shall be unlawful in the Borough and must be disconnected by the owner or lessee within 60 days from the effective date of this chapter.
B. 
Connection to Bucks County Radio Room of reporting alarms. Persons who have reporting alarm devices shall arrange that such devices report alarms to the Bucks County Radio Room by a means whereby there is a human being intermediary reporting and not a machine.
C. 
Each alarm equipment vendor shall make service available directly or through an agent on a twenty-four-hour-per-day basis, seven days a week, to repair such device or to correct any malfunction that may occur.
D. 
At the time of installation, alarm equipment vendors shall furnish buyer or lessee written repair service information telling how service may be obtained at any time, including the telephone number of the person responsible for service. The buyer or lessee and the person supplying the service shall be responsible for having the device disconnected or repaired as quickly as possible after notice that the automatic protection device is not functioning properly.
A. 
Automatic protection devices are prohibited. All reporting alarms shall be of the answering service or central station protective system type. It is a violation of this chapter to have a machine use the Police or Fire Department telephone line.
B. 
When messages evidencing failure to comply with the operational requirements set forth above are received by the Police or Fire Department, and the Borough Manager concludes that the automatic protection device sending such messages should be disconnected in order to relieve the particular department of the burden of responding to false alarms, the Borough Manager is authorized to demand that the owner or lessee of the device, or his representative, disconnect the device until it is made to comply with the operational requirements.
C. 
If disconnection of any defective device is not accomplished promptly, and the Borough Manager determines that the malfunctioning device is repeatedly sending false alarms, the Borough Manager may then take any steps necessary to disconnect the defective automatic protection device.
D. 
Under no circumstance will devices be hooked directly to Bucks County 911 lines.
A. 
Within 30 days after the effective date of this chapter, all owners and/or lessees of property in Perkasie Borough, or their alarm equipment vendors, who have installed therein any alarm reporting device, audible alarm or other kind of alarm designed to reach, by the Bucks County Radio Room, the Perkasie Borough Police or Fire Department shall register such device with the Borough of Perkasie on a form obtained from the Borough.
B. 
After the effective date of this chapter, it shall be unlawful to install any alarm reporting device, audible alarm or other kind of alarm designed to reach the Perkasie Borough Police or Fire Department without a human intermediary.
All applicants for a permit shall provide the following information on a form approved by the Borough:
A. 
The telephone number(s) of the owner or lessee at home and at his place of employment or business.
B. 
The address where the device is to be installed and the telephone number of that address.
C. 
The name, address and telephone number of any person other than the owner or lessee who is authorized to respond to an emergency and gain access to the address where the device is installed.
D. 
The name and telephone number of any person, firm or corporation who or which is responsible for maintenance and repair of the automatic protection device or audible alarm.
All information furnished pursuant to this requirement shall be kept confidential and shall be for the use of the Borough Manager and designated personnel of the Police and Fire Departments and the Bucks County Radio Room.
All applicants for a permit shall pay a fee to the Borough as set forth from time to time by resolution of the Borough Council.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
The sensory mechanism used in connection with an alarm reporting device or audible alarm must be adjusted to suppress false indications of intrusion or fire so that the device will not be activated by impulses due to knocking on or shaking doors, the rattling or vibrating of doors or windows, vibrations to the premises causes by the passing of vehicles or any other force not related to genuine alarms.
All components comprising such a device must be maintained by the owner or lessee in good repair.
A. 
Each alarm equipment vendor shall furnish operating instructions for each type of automatic protection device or audible alarm and, at the time of installation, shall furnish to any buyer or lessee using a repair service written information as to how service may be obtained at any time, including the telephone number of the alarm equipment vendor or agent responsible for service.
B. 
Alarm equipment vendors shall furnish, prior to the time of contracting and at their expense, a copy of this chapter to owners, lessees or users of the equipment to be supplied.
A. 
A person that owns, uses or possesses an alarm device or automatic dialing device may not, after causing or permitting three false alarms to occur in a consecutive twelve-month period, cause or permit a subsequent false alarm to occur in the same twelve-month period. A person violating this subsection commits a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $300 pursuant to 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 7511, or such other amount as established by state law.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
B. 
Deliberate false alarms by any person caught doing so or the creation of three or more false alarms by neglect of the system in one week are serious violations of this chapter.
Any person, firm or corporation who or which violates any provision of this chapter and who or which fails to comply with requirements of a written notice advising of such violation within five working days of receipt of such notice shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding before any District Justice, be liable for a fine or penalty not to exceed $300 for each and every offense; or, if failure to pay is not caused by indigence or lack of sufficient assets, shall be subject to imprisonment in the Bucks County Prison for a period not to exceed 30 days. Each day that such violation is continued after notice shall constitute a new and separate offense, punishable by like fine, penalty or imprisonment; and further notices to the offender shall not be necessary in order to constitute such continuance as additional offense or offenses.
Nothing in this chapter is intended to, nor shall it, regulate the use of sirens or other alarms by emergency service vehicles or devices installed on automobiles to signal illegal entry.
This chapter shall become effective 30 days after adoption.