[Adopted 12-9-2008 by Ord. No. 4168-08[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance repealed former Art. X,
Fire Alarm Regulations, adopted 2-27-2002 by Ord. No. 3667-02.
For the purpose of this article, the following terms, phrases,
words and their derivations shall have the meanings given herein:
An employee licensed by the state and employed by or acting
on behalf of an alarm company.
A business, licensed by the state, which sells, installs,
monitors, maintains, services, or responds to alarm systems or supervises
such actions.
Any device designed, when actuated, to produce or emit a
sound or transmits a signal or message for the purpose of alerting
others to the existence of an emergency situation requiring immediate
investigation by alarm, fire or other agent. "Alarm system" does not
include an alarm installed on a vehicle, unless the vehicle is permanently
located at a site.
Any person who owns, operates or manages any premises in
Toms River Township on which an alarm system has been installed and
operates.
Two or more false alarms at the same location during any
two-year permit cycle. Excessive false alarms, however, shall not
include false alarms that occur during the thirty-day period immediately
following the installation and activation of an alarm system or when
responding units are cancelled prior to arriving at the alarm location.
The activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure,
accident, malfunction, misuse, improper activation or negligence.
False alarms shall not include alarms caused by acts of God or other
causes which are beyond control of the alarm agent, alarm business
or alarm user.
The Fire Official shall be responsible for the enforcement
of this article and any administrative duties regarding the regulation
and control of fire alarm businesses, agents and systems in the Township.
The commercial, industrial or residential premises within
the Township of Toms River where the alarm system is installed.
Each time an alarm business installs or alters a residential
or commercial fire alarm system within the Township of Toms River,
the alarm business shall submit to the Township Construction Department
two sets of system plans and specifications for review and approval
prior to system installation. The plans and specifications shall include,
but not be limited to, the following:
A.
A floor plan indicating the location of all alarm-initiating and
alarm-signaling devices; and
B.
Alarm control and trouble-signaling equipment; and
C.
Annunciation devices; and
D.
Power connections and calculations, including battery and voltage
drop calculations; and
E.
Conductor types and size; and
F.
Manufacturer model numbers and listing shall be submitted for all
devises and materials.
G.
All work shall comply with the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code
and Standards.
Each owner or user, at his or her expense, is required to maintain
all components of his or her alarm system in good working order at
all times to insure that the sensory mechanism used in connection
with such device be adjusted to suppress false indications of fire
or smoke conditions so that the device will not be activated by impulses
due to short flashes of light, wind, noises, vehicular noise or other
forces unrelated to genuine alarms.
A.
In the event that an alarm user sustains a false alarm at a single
site, the Fire Official shall send a violation notice to the alarm
user or proprietor advising that all subsequent false alarms shall
be a violation of this code subject to an administrative citation,
infraction citation, and/or excessive false alarm fine. Multiple false
alarms during a twenty-four-hour period will be considered one false
alarm for the purposes of this section. An alarm user, at a single
site, will receive one free false alarm per year. If the alarm user
changes (e.g., sale of business or residence) the new alarm user will
receive one free false alarm during the current year.
B.
If it becomes necessary to issue a citation or assess an excessive
false alarm fine, the Fire Official shall serve upon the user in person
or send a penalty notice to the alarm user by mail. The notice shall
include:
C.
Payment of the false alarm fee must be received within 14 calendar
days from the date of delivery as listed on the certified mail return
receipt.
A.
Penalties for false alarms transmitted from a multifamily residential
complex, business, commercial, or industrial premises shall be as
follows:
|
Number of Alarms Within a Calendar Year
|
Penalty
| |
|---|---|---|
|
1st
|
Warning only
| |
|
2nd
|
$200
| |
|
3rd
|
$300
| |
|
4th
|
$500
| |
|
5 or more
|
$1,000
|
B.
Penalties for false alarms transmitted from single-family detached
dwellings, individual townhouses and condominium unit dwellings shall
be as follows:
|
Number of Alarms Within a Calendar Year
|
Penalty
| |
|---|---|---|
|
1st
|
Warning only
| |
|
2nd
|
$100
| |
|
3rd
|
$200
| |
|
4th
|
$300
| |
|
5 or more
|
$500
|
C.
Any person, firm, fire alarm company or corporation that causes to
be transmitted a false alarm as the result of installing, repairing,
testing, tampering with or performing any work to an automatic fire
alarm, smoke alarm, fire sprinkler water flow alarm or carbon monoxide
alarm shall be subject to a violation notice the first time, thereafter
a penalty of not less than $200 nor more than $1,000 for each transmission
of a false alarm.
D.
All penalties assessed for violations of this article shall be paid
into the Toms River Fire Bureau penalty account.
Blocking access, interfering or tampering with or causing malicious
damage to any fire alarm, suppression system, fire communications
system, fire detection, first-aid, fire-fighting system, device, unit
or part thereof shall result in a mandatory fine of $50 per day per
violation. During an actual alarm, the condition shall result in a
mandatory fine of $200 per day per violation. Fines shall remain in
effect until conditions are deemed corrected by the Fire Bureau. Failure
to comply shall result in an issued summons to appear in court. Fines
assessed from this article shall go into the Fire Bureau account.
