This chapter shall be known as the "City of Bayfield Alarm Systems Ordinance."
The purpose of this chapter is to provide minimum standards and regulations
applicable to burglar, fire and holdup alarm systems, alarm business and alarm
users. Both society in general and public safety in particular will be aided
by providing a useful and usable system of private security which properly
balances quick response by law enforcement with minimization of law enforcement
time spent on alarms which are false or otherwise not the intended function
of private security systems.
Within this chapter, the following terms, phrases and words and their
derivations have the meanings given herein:
ALARM BUSINESS
Any business in which the owners or employees engage in the activity
of altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, repairing, replacing, selling,
or servicing alarm systems.
ALARM SYSTEM
An assembly of equipment and devices or single device such as a solid
state unit which plugs directly into 110-volt AC line or otherwise receives
electrical energy arranged to signal the presence of a hazard requiring urgent
attention and to which the Police or Fire Department is expected to respond.
In this chapter, the term "alarm system" shall include the terms "automatic
holdup alarm systems," "burglar alarm systems" and "manual holdup alarm systems"
as those terms are hereinafter defined, and fire alarm systems which monitor
temperature, humidity or any other condition directly related to the detection
of fire. Excluded from this definition and from the coverage of this chapter
are alarm systems used to alert or signal persons within the premises in which
the alarm system is located of an attempted, unauthorized intrusion or holdup
attempt or fire.
ANNUNCIATOR
The instrumentation of an alarm console at the receiving terminal
of a signal line through which both visual and audible signals show when an
alarm device at a particular location has been activated or which, in the
event of malfunction, may also indicate line trouble.
ANSWERING SERVICE
Refers to a telephone answering service providing among its services
the service of receiving on a continuous basis through trained employees emergency
signals from alarm systems, and thereafter immediately relaying the message
by live voice to the dispatch center of the Police or Fire Department.
AUTOMATIC DIALING DEVICE
Refers to an alarm system which automatically sends over regular
telephone lines by direct connection or otherwise a prerecorded voice message
or coded signal indicating the existence of the emergency situation that the
alarm system is designed to detect.
BURGLAR ALARM SYSTEM
Refers to an alarm system which signals an entry or attempted entry
into the area protected by the system.
CENTRAL STATION
An office to which remote alarm and supervisory signaling devices
are connected, where operators supervise the circuits.
DIRECT CONNECT
An alarm system which has the capability of transmitting system signals
to the Police or Fire Department.
FALSE ALARM
The activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure, malfunction,
improper installation or the negligence of the owner or lessee of an alarm
system or of his employees or agents or other undetermined cause. False alarm
does not include alarms caused by tornadoes or other violent climatic conditions.
INTERCONNECT
To connect an alarm system to a voice grade telephone line, either
directly or through a mechanical device that utilizes a standard telephone,
for the purpose of using the telephone line to transmit an emergency message
upon the activation of the alarm system.
MANUAL HOLDUP ALARM SYSTEM
Refers to an alarm system in which the signal transmission is initiated
by the direct action of the person attacked or by an observer thereof.
PRIMARY TRUNK LINE
A telephone line leading directly into the dispatch center of the
Police or Fire Department that is for the purpose of handling emergency calls
on a person-to-person basis and which is identified as such by a specific
number included among the emergency numbers listed in the telephone directory
or numbers in sequence therewith.
SUBSCRIBER
A person who buys or leases or otherwise obtains an alarm system
and thereafter contracts with or hires an alarm business to monitor and/or
service the alarm system.
The Chief of Police shall promulgate such rules as may be necessary
for the implementation of this chapter. Such rules shall require the approval
of the Common Council and shall be open to inspection by the public.
No person shall interconnect any automatic dialing device to a Police
or Fire Department primary trunk line. No person shall permit such devices,
which were installed prior to the effective date of this chapter, to remain
interconnected from any property owned or controlled by that person. Such
devices may be connected to a central station or an answering service. Relaying
messages so received to the Police or Fire Department shall only be done person-to-person
on the telephone line.
Direct connections to the Police or Fire Department are prohibited,
but may be authorized pursuant to the direct connection policies of each Department,
a copy of which is on file with the Chief of Police and Fire Chief.
When the service provided by an alarm business to its subscribers is
disrupted for any reason by the alarm business or the alarm business becomes
aware of such disruption, it shall promptly notify its subscribers by telephone
that protection is no longer being provided. If, however, the alarm business
has written instructions from its subscriber not to make such notification
by telephone during certain hours, the alarm business may comply with such
instructions.
The City of Bayfield shall be under no duty or obligation to a subscriber
or to any other person concerning any provision of this chapter, including,
but not limited to, any defects in an alarm system or any delays in transmission
or response to any alarm; however, this in no way shall be construed that
it is not the proper function of law enforcement to respond to alarms.