Unless the context specifically and clearly indicates otherwise, the
meaning of terms and phrases used in this chapter shall be as follows:
ALARM REGISTRATION
All documentation pertaining to an alarm system which identifies
the owner or lessee of the system, the address of the property which is protected
by the system, the identity of individuals authorized to respond to the alarm
and to gain access to the property and deactivate the system, the identity
of the firm or individual who installed the system and can provide emergency
repair service and any other data required by the Borough of Coopersburg Police
Department.
ALARM SYSTEM
Any siren, bell, horn or other device which is attached to a structure
and when activated emits a warning signal audible outside of the structure
and/or transmits an alarm or message to an emergency communication center
or police station requiring police or firemen to respond.
AUTOMATIC PROTECTION DEVICE
Any electronically operated instrument composed of a sensory apparatus
and related hardware which automatically transmits an alarm or other similar
message upon receipt of a stimulus from sensory apparatus that has detected
a physical force or other stimulus inherently characteristic of a fire or
intrusion over a telephone line to an emergency communication center.
BOROUGH
The Borough of Coopersburg, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION CENTER
A protection system or group of systems operated privately for customers
or publicly by a person, firm, corporation or government entity which maintains,
supervises or accepts recorded messages from automatic protection devices
at a central station having operators who are required to take appropriate
action upon receipt of a signal or message.
FALSE ALARMS
Any alarm or signal activated by an automatic protection device,
or any warning signal audible outside of the structure to which it is attached,
or any signal given from a residential sensory device to which police or firemen
respond which is not the result of weather extremes, burglary, fire, robbery
or similar emergency.
INSTALLER
Any company, corporation or individual which has engaged in installing
fire, intrusion, or water alarms, where the alarm system is designed to require
a response from an emergency service such as police or fire service.
KEY
To use a telephone line and equipment for transmitting a message
from an automatic protection device.
RESIDENTIAL SENSORY DEVICE
A device attached to the interior of a residential structure which
is not tied to an emergency communication center nor intended to be audible
on the exterior of the structure to which it is attached.
All alarm systems installed in the Borough of Coopersburg that are keyed
to an assigned trunk line in the Lehigh County Emergency Communication Center
shall meet the following requirements:
A. No more than two calls (for an event) shall be made to
the Lehigh County Emergency Communication Center as a result of a signal activation
of the automatic protection device.
B. The sensory mechanism used in conjunction with an automatic
protection device must be adjusted to suppress false indications of fire or
intrusion so that the device will not be activated by impulses due to fleeting
pressure changes in water pipes, short flashes of light, the rattling or vibrating
of doors and windows, vibrations to the premises caused by the passing of
vehicles, weather or any other similar force not related to emergencies requiring
protection.
C. All components comprising an automatic protection device
must be maintained by the owner or lessee in good repair to assure maximum
reliability of operation.
D. Each owner or lessee shall be required to provide external
visible and legible identification of the installer on the protected structure
on or near the main entrance. (This identification shall include a twenty-four-hour
emergency telephone number and where someone can be reached to deactivate
the system.)
Each installer who sells or leases an automatic protection device in
the Borough of Coopersburg after the effective date of this chapter shall
furnish to the owner or lessee of the system the following: operating instructions,
a circuit diagram, a maintenance manual, and written information as to how
service may be obtained, including the telephone number of the installer or
agent responsible for service.
When messages evidencing failure to comply with the operational requirements
set forth in any section of this chapter are received by the Lehigh County
Emergency Communication Center, the automatic protection device sending such
messages shall be disconnected in order to relieve the particular emergency
service from responding to false alarms. The Chief of Police is hereby authorized
to demand that the owner or lessee of the device, or his or her representative,
disconnect the device until it is made to comply with the operational requirements
hereof.
[Amended 4-23-1996 by Ord. No. 509]
The Council of the Borough of Coopersburg may establish by resolution,
from time to time, reasonable registration fees for installations permitted
hereunder.