[Ord. 698, 7/5/1988, § 1; as amended by Ord. 947,
7/1/2002]
As herein used, the following terms shall have the following
meanings:
Any bell, horn, siren or other device which is attached to
the interior or exterior of a building and emits a warning signal
audible outside the building which is designed to attract attention
when activated by a criminal act, fire or other emergency requiring
police or fire department to respond.
An electronically operated instrument composed of sensory
apparatus and related hardware which automatically transmits a prerecorded
voice alarm or other signal over regular telephone lines, cellular
connections, radio or other communication medium by direct or indirect
connection to the Lehigh County Communication Center upon receipt
of a stimulus from a sensory apparatus that has detected a physical
force or condition inherently characteristic of an intrusion, fire
or other emergency.
The Borough of Emmaus, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
Any alarm or other signal activated by an automatic protection
device and given to the Lehigh County Communication Center, or any
audible alarm, to which police and/or fire department respond and
which is not the result of a burglary, robbery, fire or similar type
of emergency.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former §§ 6-302, Registration
of Existing Alarm, adopted by Ord. No. 698, 7/5/1988, as amended, and 6-303, Registration
of New Alarm, adopted by Ord. No. 698, 7/5/1988, were repealed by Ord. No. 1243, 5/1/2023.
[Ord. 698, 7/5/1988, § 4; as amended by Ord. 947,
7/1/2002]
The following requirements shall be placed on all alarms:
1.
No more than three calls shall be made to the Lehigh County Communication
Center as a result of a single activation of an automatic protection
device.
2.
The sensory mechanism used in conjunction with an automatic protection
device must be adjusted to suppress false indications of intrusion
or other emergencies, so that the device will not be actuated 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, cigarette or non-fire
emergency related smoke, certain whether extremes, or any other similar
force not related to emergencies requiring protection.
3.
All components comprising an automatic protection devise must be
maintained by the owner or lessee in good repair to assure maximum
reliability of operation.
4.
All existing audible alarms, within 90 days after the passage of
this Part, as well as all future audible alarm installations, shall
be equipped with a timing mechanism that will automatically disengage
the audible alarm or signal given off thereby after 15 minutes.
[Ord. 698, 7/5/1988, § 5]
Each installer who sells or leases an automatic protection device
in the Borough after the effective date of this Part, shall furnish
the owner or lessee: operating instructions, a circuit diagram, maintenance
manual, and written information as to how service may be obtained,
including the telephone number of the installer or agent responsible
for service.
[Ord. 698, 7/5/1988, § 6]
Messages evidencing failure to comply with the operational requirements
set forth in any section of this Part are received through the Lehigh
County Communication Center. These automatic protection devices place
burdens on the Borough of Emmaus Fire Department and Police Department.
In as much as all fire alarms are tied into the Borough system, any
automatic protection devices not in compliance with the requirements
of this Part may not be disconnected. However, the Chief of Police
is hereby granted the authorization to demand that the owner or lessee,
or his representative, of any burglar alarm not in compliance with
this Part disconnect said device until such time as the device has
been made to comply with the operational requirements of this Part.
The Chief of Police and the Fire Chief of the Borough shall
each possess the power to disconnect false alarms within the scope
of their jurisdiction. These waivers shall be limited to incidences
of extreme weather conditions or malfunctions in the operation of
the electric system of the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company or
other isolated events which, in the opinion of the Chief of Police
or the Fire Chief warrant an exemption.
[Ord. 698, 7/5/1988, § 7]
Response to alarms given off by audible alarms and automatic
protection devices involve the time of and danger to members of the
Borough Police Department and Fire Department, and false alarms are
therefore to be discouraged. If more than three false alarms are given
from any such alarms in a given twelve-month period, the property
owner, upon conviction, shall be guilty of a summary offense and shall
be sentenced to pay a fine in accordance with the following:
