The Board of Supervisors finds it to be in the best interest of the
residents of Derry Township and the general public to prevent and deter the
installation, maintenance and use of police and fire alarms that provide repetitious
false alarms.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
ALARM RESPONSE
The dispatch of police, fire or medical services personnel by the
Communications Center.
ALARM SUPPLIER
The business by any individual, partnership, corporation, alarm monitoring
service or other entity of selling, leasing, maintaining, servicing, repairing,
altering, replacing, moving or installing any alarm system or causing any
alarm system to be sold, leased, maintained, serviced, repaired, altered,
replaced, moved or installed in or on any building, structure or facility.
ALARM SYSTEM
Any assembly of equipment, mechanical, electrical or battery operated,
arranged to signal the occurrence of a police, fire, hazard or medical emergency
requiring urgent attention, and to which police, fire or medical units are
expected to respond.
ANSWERING SERVICE
A service whereby trained employees, in attendance at all times,
receive prerecorded voice messages from automatic dialing devices reporting
an emergency at a stated location, where such employees have the duty to relay
immediately by live voice any such emergency message over a telephone facility
to the Derry Township Public Safety Communications Center.
AUDIBLE AND/OR VISUAL ALARM
Any audible or visual device such as a bell, horn, siren or light
which is installed on the premises and is designed to attract attention when
activated by a criminal act or other emergency requiring police, fire or medical
response.
AUTOMATIC DIALING DEVICE
A device which is interconnected to a telephone line and is programmed
to transmit a signal by a voice or coded message that indicates that an emergency
condition exists and the need for an emergency response is required.
CENTRAL STATION
A protective system or group of such systems operated privately for
customers by a person, firm or corporation which accepts recorded messages
from automatic dialing devices at a central station, having operators and
guards in attendance at all times who have the duty to take appropriate action
upon receipt of a signal or message, including the relaying of messages to
the Public Safety Communications Center.
EMERGENCY
A police, fire, hazard or medical emergency.
FALSE ALARM
An alarm activated in the absence of an emergency, whether willfully
or by inadvertence, negligence or unintentional act, including the malfunction
of the alarm system, to which the Derry Township Police Department or the
Hershey Fire Department (including the Hershey Medical Services) responds.
The term "false alarm" includes the intentional activation of a robbery or
burglar alarm for reasons other than a robbery or burglary. The definition
excludes malfunctions of the Derry Township Public Safety Communications Center
receiving equipment if such alarm is directly connected to the Center's
alarm board, testing or repairing telephone or electrical lines or equipment
outside the premises; acts of God, such as earthquake, flood, thunder or lightning;
a crime or attempted crime in progress.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
The Hershey Fire Company or another company acting in place of the
Hershey Fire Company.
HAZARD EMERGENCY
An explosion and/or leak of toxic gas, liquid or solid, or a potential
explosion and/or leak.
KEY
To use a telephone line and equipment for transmitting a message
either directly or indirectly by an automatic dialing device.
PHONE FACILITY
Any telephonic communication device which by its nature is used to
transmit audible voice or digital signals over wire or air in order to establish
communications.
POLICE CHIEF
The administrative head of the Derry Township Police Department.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Derry Township Police Department or another police department
acting in the place of the Derry Township Police Department.
POLICE EMERGENCY
An incident requiring prompt response by the Police Department.
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Derry, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
TRUNK LINE
A telephone line leading into the Communications Center that is for
the purpose of handling calls on a person to person basis and which is identified
by a specific listing among the white pages in the telephone directory issued
by the telephone company.
The owners or users of any audible alarm system installed on or after
the effective date of this chapter must equip such audible alarms with a timing
mechanism that will disengage the audible alarm after a maximum of 15 minutes.
No automatic dialing devices that transmit recorded messages directly
to the Derry Township Public Safety Communications Center will be permitted.
Every alarm supplier selling, leasing or furnishing to any user who
privately installs an alarm system which is located on a premises within Derry
Township shall:
A. Be permitted to install only equipment that is listed
by Underwriter's Laboratories, Inc., as being electrically safe and meeting
the Township's requirements for the alarm system, and all applicable
State and Township building and electrical codes. Wiring for the alarm system
must conform with all applicable Township codes.
B. Cause each alarm system installed to be provided with
a standby battery power which will automatically and immediately take over
in the event of a power failure.
C. Install equipment in such a way as to neutralize electrical
surges on the alarm system.
D. Deactivate any alarm system within a reasonable period
of time when multiple false alarms are received.
No person shall conduct any test or demonstration of any alarm system
without first notifying the Derry Township Public Safety Communications Center.
Alarm suppliers and installers shall furnish at their own expense prior
to time of contracting a copy of this chapter to owners, lessees or users
of the equipment or services to be supplied.