This chapter shall be known and may be cited as "South Whitehall
Township Police and Fire Emergency Alarm Ordinance."
The purpose of this chapter is to encourage alarm users throughout
the Township to maintain operational reliability and properly use
alarm systems in a manner which will reduce false and nuisance alarm
responses by the Police Department and Fire Department(s), thereby
reducing and preventing the misuse of police and fire resources at
taxpayer expense.
The following definitions shall apply in the interpretation
and enforcement of this chapter:
ALARM
An indication of the existence of a condition that requires
an immediate response.
ALARM REGISTRATION
Documentation pertaining to any alarm system, other than
a residential sensory device, 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
in order 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 other data required by the
South Whitehall Township Police Department.
ALARM SYSTEM
A system or portion of a combination system consisting of
components and circuits arranged to monitor and annunciate the status
of an alarm or supervisory signal-initiating devices and to initiate
the appropriate response to those signals.
FALSE ALARMS
The initiation or transmission of a signal, message or other
notification of an event or fire when no such danger exists.
INSTALLER
Any company, corporation, or individual which has contracted
to engage or has engaged in the act of installing fire, intrusion,
water alarm, medial systems, etc., where the system is designed to
require a response from any emergency service.
KEY
To use a telephone line and equipment for transmitting a
message either directly or indirectly by an automatic protection device.
NUISANCE ALARM
An alarm caused by a mechanical failure, malfunction, improper
installation or lack of proper maintenance, or an alarm activated
by a cause that cannot be determined.
SUPERVISING STATION
A facility that receives signals from an alarm system and
at which personnel are in attendance at all times to respond to these
signals.
TOWNSHIP
South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
Alarm systems installed in the Township that transmit to a supervising
station shall meet the following requirements:
A. No more than two calls shall be made to the Lehigh County Communication
Center because of a single activation of the automatic protection
device.
B. The sensory mechanisms used in conjunction with an alarm system 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, rattling
or vibrating of doors and windows, vibrations to the premises by the
passing of vehicles, weather extremities or any other similar force
not related to emergencies requiring protection.
C. All components comprising an alarm system must be maintained by the
owner or lessee in good repair to assure maximum eligibility of operation.
D. Each owner or lessee shall be required to provide external visible
and legible identification of a twenty-four-hour emergency telephone
number where someone can be reached to deactivate the system.
Each installer of an alarm system in the Township shall furnish
to the owner or lessee a set of operating instructions; a circuit
diagram; a maintenance manual; and written information as to how service
may be obtained.
The owner or lessee of an alarm system shall be responsible
for having any device rendering a nuisance alarm repaired within 24
hours of the commencement of the first such alarm.
When messages evidencing failure to comply with the operational
requirements set forth in any section of this chapter are received
by the Lehigh County Communication Center, the device sending such
messages shall be disconnected to relieve the emergency service providers
from responding to false alarms. The Township Chief of Police is hereby
authorized to demand that the owner or lessee of the device, or their
representative, disconnect the device until it complies with the operational
requirements hereof. This section is not applicable to fire alarm
systems.
An alarm user and/or property owner shall implement verified
response for a fire alarm system installed in a residential or commercial
property within one year of the effective date of this section.
A. Alarm verification. An alarm company shall not re-transmit a fire
alarm signal to emergency responders until an attempt is made to verify
the accuracy of a fire alarm signal originating from a residential
or commercial property. Verification shall be made within 90 seconds
of receipt of a fire alarm signal. If the alarm user or other properly
identified person on site at the property is contacted and can confirm
that no emergency condition exists, then the alarm signal shall not
be retransmitted. In all other situations, the alarm signal shall
be immediately retransmitted.
B. Alarm verification exceptions. Waterflow alarms and manual pull station
alarms shall be immediately retransmitted without alarm verification
when they can be distinguished by the alarm company from other fire
alarm systems on the protected premises.
The Township Board of Commissioners may establish reasonable
registration fees for installations permitted hereafter.
Any and all liability and consequential damage resulting from
the failure of the Township Police Department and/or Fire Department(s)
to respond to an alarm dispatch request is hereby disclaimed and full
governmental immunity as provided by law is retained.