[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Wawarsing as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Noise control — See Ch. 78.
[Adopted 7-1-2010 by L.L. No. 3-2010]
The Town Board is concerned that a large number of audible fire alarm signals or signals transmitted to Fire Departments within the Town of Wawarsing are activated as the result of defective or malfunctioning equipment or caused by the negligence of the owner or occupant of the premises to which the Fire Departments are required to respond as the result of the signal and where an emergency condition is found not to exist, resulting in an unnecessary use of the personnel and resources of the Fire Departments. These signals require that Fire Departments and other emergency services respond to the false alarm, exposing them to unnecessary hazards and risks, wasting taxpayer funds and depriving other residents, who may need emergency service, of those services. The Town Board believes that the imposition of a scale of penalties for repeated false alarms will encourage property owners and occupants to use care in the use of their alarm equipment and to maintain the equipment in proper condition. This article is intended to remedy the waste and lessen potential harm by reducing the number of false alarms.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ALARM SYSTEMS
Any device which, when activated, transmits, directly or indirectly, a signal to the 911 Center or to a private central alarm station or produces any audible or visual or telephone signal to which a Fire Department is expected to respond.
ALARM USER
Any person, firm, corporation or business entity upon whose premises an alarm system is installed or operating.
FALSE ALARM
The activation of an audible alarm system or of a signal transmitted to the Fire Departments within the Town of Wawarsing giving notice of fire, or other damage to or upon property where, upon response by the Fire Departments, the condition of fire or damage is found not to exist. It shall not be deemed a false alarm where the system or signal is activated by a natural disaster such as a hurricane, lightning, thunderstorm, earthquake, or an interruption in the electrical or telephone services to the premises without the knowledge or control of the owner or occupant thereof.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Any duly organized fire company within the Town of Wawarsing including Ellenville Fire District, Cragsmoor Fire District, Napanoch Fire District and Kerhonkson Fire District.
It shall be unlawful for any alarm user to permit or allow an alarm device to signal a false alarm whether intentionally or unintentionally, or whether due to malfunction or otherwise.
A. 
A member of any Fire Department headquartered within the Town of Wawarsing who proceeds within the Town of Wawarsing in response to the communication of a signal which is determined to be a false alarm shall, within 72 hours thereafter, file a written report with the Town of Wawarsing Code Enforcement Department setting forth the date, time, premises, location, whether an owner or occupant was present, whether there appeared to be any fire, or other damage to the premises and whether it appeared that the alarm signal was activated by a natural disaster as above described. A copy of the standardized BFI Incident Report will suffice for this purposes.
B. 
The Town of Wawarsing Code Enforcement Department shall maintain a record of the reports of false alarms transmitted from the premises in the Town of Wawarsing.
C. 
It shall be the duty of any Town of Wawarsing Code Enforcement employee in the employ of the Town of Wawarsing to issue a notice to the alarm user in writing after the second documented false alarm occurring in any twelve-month period notifying said user that any further false alarms occurring within that twelve-month period will result in monetary fines. Such notice shall be served either personally upon the alarm user or agent thereof, or by posting the violation notice in a conspicuous place upon the applicable premises. If a written notice is served by posting it upon the premises, a copy thereof shall be mailed to the person to whom it is directed by regular first class mail at the last known address of the property owner, or its agent.
A. 
The alarm user of premises from which more than two false alarms shall have been sounded within any twelve-month period shall be deemed to have committed an offense in violation of this article and shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than $250 for the first violation and by a fine of not more than $500 for each subsequent violation occurring within a twelve-month period.
B. 
False alarm charge fine collection procedure. Whenever an alarm user has a chargeable false alarm in any calendar year and has been found guilty, the Justice Court Clerk shall mail a notice requesting payment. If payment is not received by the Town within 30 days from the date of mailing or from the date of refusal (if the alarm user or alarm installer refuses delivery of the notice), the Justice Court Clerk may either file a judgment for the amount of the in the Ulster County Clerk's Office or deliver a statement of unpaid fines and have same assessed against the property owner on the subsequent tax bill.