[Added 8-15-2016 by Ord. No. 11-2016]
When used in this article the following words,
terms and phrases shall have the following meanings, unless expressly
stated otherwise or unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International.
Chester County Department of Emergency Services.
Federal Communications Commission.
The four fire companies that service Willistown Township:
Goshen Fire Company, Malvern Fire Company, Newtown Square Fire Company,
Paoli Fire Company.
National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee.
A.
Except as otherwise provided, no person shall erect,
construct, alter, refit change the use of, or provide an addition
of more than 30% of the existing floor area to any nonresidential
building or structure or any part thereof, or cause the same to be
done, which fails to support adequate radio coverage for CCDES, the
Fire & Ambulance Companies (Goshen Fire Company, Malvern Fire
Company, Newtown Square Fire Company, Paoli Fire Company) that service
Willistown Township, and the Willistown Township Police Department.
For the purposes of this section, adequate radio coverage shall include
all of the following:
(1)
A minimum signal strength of -95 dBm available in
95% for the area of each floor of the building.
(2)
A minimum signal strength of -95 dBm received at the
closest CCDES radio communications site when transmitted from 95%
of the area of each floor of the building.
(3)
The frequency range which must be supported shall
be between 763 MHz and 861 MHz.
(4)
A 90% reliability factor.
(5)
Signal strength measurements, for the purpose of measuring
the performance of a bi-directional amplifier, shall be based on one
input signal adequate to obtain a maximum continuous operating output
level.
B.
The provisions of this section shall become applicable
upon notification to the property owner that unacceptable performance
levels exist. The property owner shall have 90 days from date of notification,
to enhance radio coverage and bring it within the acceptable limits
of these provisions.
Buildings and structures which cannot support
the required level of radio coverage shall be equipped with either
a radiating cable system or an internal multiple antenna system with
or without FCC type accepted bi-directional 700/800 MHz amplifiers
as needed. If any part of the installed system or systems contains
an electrically powered component, the system shall be capable of
operating on an independent battery and/or generator system for a
period of at least 12 hours without external power input. The battery
system shall charge in the presence of an external power input.
A.
Acceptance test procedure. When an in-building radio
system is required, and upon completion of installation, it will be
the building owner's responsibility to have the radio system tested
to ensure that two-way coverage on each floor of the building is a
minimum of 95%. Each floor of the building shall be divided into a
grid of approximately 20 equal areas. A maximum of two nonadjacent
areas will be allowed to fail the test. In the event that three of
the areas fail the test, in order to be more statistically accurate,
the floor may be divided in 40 equal areas. In such event, a maximum
of four nonadjacent areas will be allowed to fail the test. After
the 40-area test, if the system continues to fail, the building owner
shall have the system altered to meet the 95% coverage requirement.
(1)
The test shall be conducted using the most current
portable radio or its equivalent, available to the Willistown Township
Police and/or Fire Department, talking through the CCDES as specified
by the authority having jurisdiction. A spot located approximately
in the center of a grid area will be selected for the test, then the
radio will be keyed to verify two-way communications to and from the
outside of the building through the CCDES. Once the spot has been
selected, prospecting for a better spot within the grid area will
not be permitted.
(2)
The gain values of all amplifiers shall be measured
and the test measurement results shall be kept on file with the building
owner so that the measurements can be verified each year during the
annual tests. In the event that the measurements results become lost,
the building owner will be required to rerun the acceptance test to
reestablish the gain values.
B.
Annual tests. When an in-building radio system is
required, the building owner shall test all active components of the
system, including, but not limited to, amplifiers, power supplies
and backup batteries a minimum of once every 12 months. Amplifiers
shall be tested to ensure that the gain is the same as it was upon
initial installation and acceptance. Backup batteries and power supplies
shall be tested under load for a period of one hour to verify that
they will properly operate during an actual power outage. If within
the one-hour test period, in the opinion of the testing technician,
the battery exhibits symptoms of failure, the test shall be extended
for additional one-hour periods until the testing technician confirms
the integrity of the battery. All other active components shall be
checked to determine that they are operating within the manufacturer's
specifications for the intended period.
C.
Five-year tests. In addition to the annual test, the
building owner shall perform a radio coverage test a minimum of once
every five years to insure that the radio system continues to meet
the requirements of the original acceptance test. The procedure set
forth above shall apply to such tests. A copy of the accepted tests
shall be provided to the Chester County Department of Emergency Services
D.
Qualifications of testing personnel. All tests shall
be conducted, documented and signed by a person in possession of a
current FCC technician license, or a current technician certification
issued by APCO, NABER, or PCIA. All test records shall be retained
on the inspected premises by the building owner and a copy submitted
to officials of the Willistown Township Police Department and the
Willistown Township Administration Department.
Police and Fire Department personnel, after
providing reasonable notice to the owner or his representative, shall
have the right to enter onto the property to conduct field testing
to be certain that the required level of radio coverage is present.