This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Bern Township
Emergency Alarm Ordinance."
The Board of Supervisors of Bern Township has determined that
false alarms cause unnecessary costs and response risks and hereby
declares the policy of Bern Township to set forth this chapter, which
shall apply to the control and regulation of alarm systems, within
the boundaries of Bern Township.
The following words, terms, phrases, and their derivations shall
have the meanings given herein. When not inconsistent with the context,
words used in the present tense include the future, words in the plural
number include the singular and words in the singular number include
the plural. The word "shall" is always mandatory and not merely directory.
ALARM EQUIPMENT INSTALLER
Any person, firm or corporation which installs automatic
protection devices, including the owner, lessee or user.
ANSWERING SERVICE
A service whereby trained employees, in attendance at all
times, receive prerecorded voice messages from automatic protection
devices reporting an emergency at a stated location and who have the
duty to relay immediately, by live voice only, such emergency message
over a designated or primary trunk line to the communications center
of the Police or Fire Department.
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 police to respond.
AUTOMATIC PROTECTION DEVICE
An electrically operated instrument composed of sensory apparatus
and related hardware which automatically transmits a prerecorded voice
alarm over regular telephone line by direct or indirect connection
to the Police Department or Fire Department upon receipt of a stimulus
from a sensory apparatus that has detected a physical force or condition
inherently characteristic of a fire or intrusion.
CENTRAL STATION PROTECTIVE 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 trunk line to the communications center of the Police or
Fire Department.
CHIEF OF POLICE
The Chief of Police of the Bern Township Police Department.
DESIGNATED TRUNK LINE
A telephone line leading into the communications center of
the Police or Fire Department that is for the primary purpose of handling
emergency messages which originate from automatic protection devices
and are transmitted directly or indirectly through an intermediary.
FALSE ALARM
Any signal activated by an automatic protection device, any
audible alarm or any other kind of direct or indirect signal given
the police or fire communications center to which police or firemen
respond which is not the result of an electrical service interruption,
fire, burglary, robbery or similar emergency.
INTERMEDIARY
A central station protective system or answering service,
as herein defined.
KEY
To use telephone line and equipment for transmitting a message,
either directly or indirectly, by an automatic protection device.
MANAGER
The Township Manager of Bern Township.
PREMISES
Any separate building or structure owned or leased by the
owner or lessee of the alarm. When two or more individual alarm owners
or lessees occupy separate sections of the same building or structure,
each section shall be defined as a separate premises.
PRIMARY TRUNK LINE
A telephone line leading into the communications center of
the Police or Fire Department that is for the purpose of handling
emergency calls on a person-to-person basis and which line is identified
by a specific listing among the white pages in the local telephone
directory.
There shall be no fee associated with the registration of any
alarm system installed within the Township.
No person shall conduct any test or demonstration of an automatic
protection device without first notifying the Central Station monitoring
company, Emergency Call Center, Fire Department or Police Departments
with the date and time of such testing to occur;