[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township
of Silver Spring as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
[Adopted 10-23-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-09[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Art. I,
Automatic Protection Devices, adopted 10-23-1991 by Ord. No. 91-9.
As used in this article, the following words, terms and phrases
shall have the following meanings unless it is apparent from the context
that a different meaning is intended:
Any mechanical- or electrical-operated device or instrument
composed of sensory apparatus and related hardware which is designed
or used for the detection of an unauthorized entry into a building,
structure or facility or an attempt thereof, or designed or used for
alerting others of the commission or attempted commission of an unlawful
act within a building, structure or facility or designed or used for
the detection of fire, flames, carbon monoxide, gases or smoke within
a building, structure or facility, or any combination thereof; and
which emits a sound or transmits a signal or message when activated.
Automatic protection devices include, but are not limited to, audible
alarms, automatic dialing devices, alarms connected directly to a
communications center, alarms relayed through any private central
station and proprietary alarms. Exemption: the following devices shall
not be included under the definition:
Devices which are not designed or used to register alarms that
are audible, visible or perceptible outside of the protected building,
structure or facility such as those systems designed for the detection
of equipment malfunctions.
Devices which are designed, used or provided for the sole purpose
of evacuation of occupants of industries, institutions and other similar
premises.
Devices which are designed for and installed upon motorized
vehicles or trailers.
Devices maintained and/or operated by the Silver Spring Township
Police Department and/or the Silver Spring Township Volunteer Fire
Department used for the detection of unlawful acts or for demonstration
purposes.
Automatic medical alarms.
Act of or system of transmitting information.
The Cumberland County Communications Center, the Silver Spring
Township Police Department headquarters, the Silver Spring Community
Fire Company, the New Kingstown Fire Company, the Silver Spring Ambulance
& Rescue Association or any other specifically authorized location.
An agency designed to plan and prepare for any form of disaster
that threatens the wellbeing of any person or location.
An individual who is responsible for technical and administrative
duties that help with emergency management programs for institutions
such as municipalities, private companies, government agencies, and
more.
All members and equipment of Silver Spring Ambulance &
Rescue Association or additional companies/resources who follow under
the same principles.
Those fire, police or ambulance personnel of the Township
of Silver Spring and those from outside the Township providing such
services as agents of the Township.
Any activation of an automatic protection device signal or
notification of such activation by any means resulting in or expecting
the response of the Silver Spring Township Police Department and/or
the Silver Spring Community Fire Company and/or the New Kingstown
Fire Company and/or Silver Spring Ambulance & Rescue Association
where an emergency does not or did not exist at the time of such activation.
The term does not include alarms caused by rainstorms, thunderstorms,
lightning strikes, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods or other
natural acts or acts of God. A condition whereby an automatic protection
device is in a prealarm condition, commonly referred to as a "trouble
setting," and a communications center receives notification of such
a condition. In the absence of an actual emergency, a trouble alarm
shall be considered a false alarm.
The Chief of Silver Spring Community Fire Company or New
Kingstown Fire Company or their designated representative and those
from outside the Township providing such services as agents of the
Township.
The Silver Spring Community Fire Company or New Kingstown
Fire Company and those from outside the Township providing such services
as agents of the Township.
Any person, group, firm, partnership, association, corporation,
company, or organization of any kind.
The Chief of Police of the Silver Spring Township Police
Department or his designated representative.
All members of the Silver Spring Township Police Department
and those from outside the Township providing such services as agents
of the Township.
The reports, incidents, statistics or files of the above-listed
emergency medical service, police and/or fire departments.
A.
False alarms limited. Except as otherwise provided in this article,
it shall be prohibited for any person to accumulate more than three
false alarms in a period of 12 consecutive months. The number of false
alarms during any consecutive twelve-month period shall be ascertained
from the records of the Police Department or Fire Department or both.
After three alarms are met, the twelve-month period does not reset.
When a person has accumulated three false alarms, the Emergency Management
Coordinator shall send a letter to said person stating such. The person
will be permitted to furnish proof, to the satisfaction of the Emergency
Management Coordinator and/or designee that said person is taking
steps to correct the false alarm problem. If such person shows proof
of corrective action, the Emergency Management Coordinator and/or
designee may exempt such person from the requirements of this article
for a period not to exceed three days to allow for the repair and/or
improvement of the alarm system. Only one such exemption shall be
granted during a rolling twelve-month period.
B.
Testing prohibited without permission. It shall be prohibited for
any person to conduct any test or demonstration of any automatic protection
device designed to make direct connection to the communications center
at any time without first obtaining the express permission of the
communications center, the Police Department and/or the Fire Department.
Such permission is not required where the device to be tested or demonstrated
is not connected to a communications center and the receipt of the
alarm or signal is not relayed to the Police or Fire Department by
any means.
C.
Automatic dialing service. It shall be prohibited for any person
to authorize and/or connect or interconnect an automatic dialing device
to a communications center telephone line not designated for such
connections. Connections to designated telephone lines shall not be
made without the express permission of the communications center involved.
A.
It shall be unlawful for a person to cause an intentional false alarm.
B.
A person who owns, uses or possesses an alarm system may not cause
or permit, whether intentional or unintentional, a subsequent false
alarm to occur after causing or permitting three false alarms to occur
in the same consecutive twelve-month period. Where there is a false
alarm in excess of those allowed by this subsection or otherwise permitted
by this article, a false alarm charge shall be made by the Township
of Silver Spring. Said false alarm charges shall be set by the Township
of Silver Spring's fee schedule.
C.
When it is determined that a false alarm charge is due from the subscriber,
said subscriber will be notified by the Emergency Management Coordinator
and/or designee of each false alarm on which a false alarm charge
is due and the amount thereof.
D.
Such notice of false alarm charges shall be in writing and mailed
to the subscriber or his or her authorized agent by regular mail.
E.
A false alarm charge shall be due and payable 30 days from the date
of the mailing of the notice of assessment of the false alarm charge.
F.
After two false alarms occur the Township's Emergency Management
Coordinator and/or designee, Building Code Official and/or designee
will be granted the ability to inspect the property/system to ensure
working order.
Note: Please contact the Building Codes Dept. prior to any fire
alarm alterations taking place, as a permit may be required.
A.
The assumption of monitoring services by the emergency services shall
not constitute acceptance by the Township of Silver Spring of any
liability to maintain any equipment in connection with such alarm
devices.
B.
The Township of Silver Spring, its officers, services, representatives
and employees shall not be liable for and will be held harmless for
any loss or injury to person or property occasioned by the failure
of any alarm device to properly perform.
Ordinance 91-9 is hereby repealed in its entirety, and all other
ordinances or parts of ordinances inconsistent herewith are hereby
repealed.
A.
A person who violates any provision of this article other than §§ 109-2A and 109-3B (regarding false alarms in excess of three in a consecutive twelve-month period), including violations by causing an intentional false alarm shall, upon conviction thereof before a magisterial district judge or other court having jurisdiction, be guilty of a summary offense and shall be punishable for each offense by a fine of not more than $1,000 and costs of prosecution in addition to the false alarm charge established by this article and, in default of payment of such fine and costs, by imprisonment for not more than 30 days.
B.
A person who violates § 109-2A or § 109-3B shall be assessed a false alarm charge as established by this article and shall not be subject to the summary offense established by § 109-6A unless the person is found guilty of provisions of this article other than § 109-2A or § 109-3B. Enforcement of such false alarm charges, except as assessed in a summary offense proceeding, shall be through a civil enforcement proceeding, including any remedies as permitted by law.
[Adopted 8-22-2001 by Ord. No. 4-2001; amended in its entirety 9-26-2018 by Ord. No. 7-2018]
The purpose of this article is to require certain structures
to have a key lock box installed at the entrance of the structure
to enable emergency personnel to gain access to the structure when
responding to an emergency without forceful entry.
This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Key Lock
Box Ordinance."
As used in this article, the following words, terms and phrases
shall have the meanings herein ascribed thereto unless the context
clearly indicates a different meaning:
Any centrally monitored system, device, equipment, mechanical,
electrical or battery-operated arrangement to activate an alarm or
signal of the occurrence of a police, fire, hazard or medical emergency
requiring urgent attention and to which police, fire or EMS personnel
are expected to respond.
Any system that automatically detects a fire, activates an
alarm and suppresses a fire by the application of an extinguishing
agent through fixed piping and nozzles.
An agency designed to plan and prepare for any form of disaster
that threatens the well-being of any person or location.
An individual who is responsible for technical and administrative
duties that help with emergency management programs for institutions
such as municipalities, private companies, government agencies and
more.
All members and equipment of Silver Spring Ambulance, or
additional companies/resources who follow under the same principles.
All members and equipment of the New Kingstown Fire Company
and Silver Spring Community Fire Company, or additional companies/resources
who follow under the same principles.
A fire.
A locked container often used to store building entry keys,
pre-incident plans and/or related data.
An emergency involving the health of a person.
Any individual, group, firm, partnership, association, company,
corporation or organization of any kind.
All members and equipment of the Silver Spring Township Police
Department, or additional companies/resources who follow under the
same principles.
Any incident requiring prompt response by the police.
That which is built or constructed, or a portion thereof.
The Township of Silver Spring, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
The Manager of the Township of Silver Spring or designee.
All structures within the Township having an automatic detection
system and/or an automatic suppression system that are secured in
a manner that restricts access during an emergency, including but
not limited to commercial and industrial structures, multifamily residential
structures that have restricted access through a locked door or have
a common corridor for access to the living units, governmental structures,
health-care facilities and schools and churches, shall be equipped
with a key lock box at or near the main entrance or in such other
location approved by the Township Manager or designee. Multiple lock
boxes may be required, at the discretion of the Township Manager,
EMA or similar designee. This provision shall not apply to single-family
residential dwellings.
The owner of each structure constructed after the effective
date of this article and subject to this article shall have a key
lock box installed and operational prior to the issuance of an occupancy
permit. The owner of each structure in existence on the effective
date of this article and subject to the requirement of this article
shall have one year from the effective date of this article to have
a key lock box installed and operational.
The key lock box shall be an Underwriters Laboratory type and
approved by the Township Manager or designee. The key lock box shall
be equipped with a lock, which can be opened only with a key that
is issued to the Township Manager or designee. Emergency vehicles
shall each be equipped with one key that is held in a special security
device. The owner of the structure is prohibited from obtaining or
otherwise possessing a key to open the lock box.
The key lock box shall be mounted on the structure entrance
at a height of four to six feet and within three feet thereof or such
other location approved by the Township Manager or designee. Flush-mounted
or recessed key lock box installations shall be permitted, provided
that the key lock box is clearly marked. Once the key lock box is
installed, the owner of the structure shall contact the Township Manager
or designee during regular office hours to arrange for the inspection
of the key lock box and install the access keys and any other items
required by this article.
The key lock box shall contain keys to all locked entrances
whether on the interior or exterior of the structure; keys to locked
mechanical or electrical equipment rooms; keys to elevator rooms and
controls; keys to any fenced or secured area; floor plan of the rooms
within the structure denoting any utility disconnects or controls;
fire alarm panels or controls and any hazardous materials stored in
the structure. If any of the contents of the key lock box must be
removed or anything is to be added thereto, arrangements shall be
made with the Township Manager or designee to open the key lock box,
inspect the items to be added to or removed from the box, and then
lock the box.
The owner of each structure required to have a key lock box
shall provide a list of multiple contact persons (day/night), indicating
the name(s) and phone number(s) to the Township Manager or designee.
This information shall also be placed into the key lock box. The owner
of each structure shall immediately upon any change with respect to
the list of contact persons provide the Township Manager or designee
with such information.
Any person who violates any provision of this article, upon
summary conviction thereof, shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not
more than $1,000 plus costs of prosecution and, in default of payment
thereof, be imprisoned in the Cumberland County Prison for a period
of not more than 30 days. Each day of violation of any provision of
this article shall constitute a separate offense.
