[Amended 2-21-2000 by Ord. No. 610]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
ALARM COMPANY
A person who/which is in the business of selling, leasing,
maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving, installing
or monitoring an alarm system in an alarm site.
ALARM DISPATCH REQUEST
A notification to a law enforcement or fire department agency
or dispatching agency that an alarm, either manual or automatic, has
been activated at a particular alarm site.
ALARM SITE
A single fixed premises or location served by an alarm system
or systems. Each tenancy, if served by a separate alarm system in
a multitenant building or complex, shall be considered a separate
alarm site.
ALARM SYSTEM
A device or series of devices, including but not limited
to systems interconnected with a radio frequency method such as cellular
or private radio signals, which emits or transmits a remote or local
audible, visual or electronic signal indicating an alarm condition
and is intended to summon law enforcement or fire department services
of the Borough, including local alarm system. "Alarm system" does
not include an alarm installed on a vehicle or person unless the vehicle
or personal alarm is permanently located at a site.
ALARM USER
Any person, firm, partnership, corporation or other entity
who (which) owns, uses or is in control of any alarm system at its
alarm site.
CANCELLATION or RESPONDING AGENCY ALARM DISPATCH CANCELLATION
The process by which an alarm company providing monitoring
verifies with the alarm user or his/her representative or other responsible
party that a false dispatch has occurred and that there is not an
existing situation at the alarm site requiring law enforcement or
fire department agency response.
DISPATCHING AGENCY
An entity designated by the Borough to receive notification
of alarms from an alarm company.
DURESS ALARM
A silent alarm system signal generated by the manual activation
of a device intended to signal a life-threatening situation or a crime
in progress requiring law enforcement response.
FALSE ALARM
An alarm dispatch request to a law enforcement or fire department
agency when the responding personnel find no evidence of a criminal
offense, attempted criminal offense or fire after having completed
a timely investigation of the alarm site.
FIRE-DETECTING DEVICE
A device which automatically detects heat, smoke or other
products of combustion and activates an alarm upon any such detection.
LICENSE
A license issued by the Borough to an alarm company to sell,
install, monitor, repair or replace alarm systems in the Borough of
Fox Chapel.
LOCAL ALARM SYSTEM
Any alarm system that annunciates an alarm by an internal
or external device at the alarm site only (i.e., is not connected
directly or indirectly to an alarm company). "Local alarm system"
does not include individual, battery-operated smoke detectors (e.g.,
FirstAlert™).
MONITORING
The process by which an alarm company receives signals from
an alarm system and relays an alarm dispatch request to the Borough's
dispatching agency for the purpose of summoning a law enforcement
or fire department response to the alarm site.
ONE PLUS DURESS ALARM
The capacity of an alarm system to accept manual activation
of a silent alarm signal by entering at a keypad a code that adds
one to the last digit of the normal arm/disarm code (e.g., if normal
code = 1234, then one plus duress code = 1235).
PANIC
An audible alarm system signal generated by the manual activation
of a device intended to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation
requiring law enforcement response.
PERSON
An individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization
or similar entity.
VERIFY
An attempt by the alarm company or its representative to
contact the alarm site by telephonic or other electronic means, whether
or not actual contact with a person is made, before requesting law
enforcement or fire department dispatch, in an attempt to avoid an
unnecessary alarm dispatch request.
[Amended 2-21-2000 by Ord. No. 610]
A. Upon enactment of this chapter, alarm companies shall not program
alarm systems so that they are capable of sending one plus duress
alarms. Alarm companies may continue to report one plus duress alarms
received from alarm systems programmed with one plus duress prior
to enactment of this chapter.
B. Upon enactment of this chapter, alarm companies shall not install
a device activating a panic or duress alarm that is a single-action,
nonrecessed button.
C. Upon enactment of this chapter, alarm companies must use control
panels tested for conformance to the Security Industry Association
(SIA) control panel standard – features for false alarm reduction
for all new systems and for all replacement systems.
D. Alarm companies shall maintain customer databases for all customers
in the Borough and all adjoining municipalities that correctly reflect
the municipality in which each alarm site is located and shall assure
that an alarm site is in the Borough before issuing an alarm dispatch
request to a Borough agency or dispatching agency. Failure to do so
shall result in the automatic revocation of the alarm company's
license to operate in the Borough.
E. An alarm company performing monitoring services shall:
(1) Offer a training period for alarm users.
(2) Report alarm signals to the dispatching agency by using telephone
numbers designated by the dispatching agency.
(3) Verify every alarm signal from a residential alarm site (except a
duress or panic alarm activation) before requesting a law enforcement
or fire department response to the alarm system signal.
(4) Communicate alarm dispatch requests to the dispatching agency in
a manner and form determined by the dispatching agency.
(5) Communicate cancellations to the dispatching agency designated by
the Borough in a manner and form determined by the Borough and/or
the dispatching agency.
(6) Ensure that all alarm users of alarm systems equipped with a duress
or panic alarm are given adequate training as to the proper use of
the duress or panic alarm.
(7) Communicate any available information (north, south, front, back,
floor, etc.) about the location of any alarm.
(8) Communicate type of alarm activation (fire or security, silent or
audible, interior or perimeter).
(9) Upon enactment of this chapter, alarm companies that perform monitoring
services must maintain records relating to each alarm dispatch request
for a rolling twelve-month period as long as the license remains in
effect. Records must include the name, address and phone number of
the alarm user, the alarm system zone(s) activated, the time of alarm
dispatch request and evidence of verifying. The Borough may request
copies of such records for individually named alarm users.
[Added 9-17-2001 by Ord.
No. 620]
No person shall either: 1) create an intentional false alarm;
or 2) create or cause to be created a false alarm through reckless
indifference. For purposes hereof, "reckless indifference" shall mean
action or inaction evidencing disregard or indifference to the possibility
that a false alarm will occur and will include, but not be limited
to, the following: failure to cover or otherwise disarm a detector
during a period when work activities (such as painting, sanding, sawing,
etc.) will likely cause activation of the alarm.
[Added 5-21-2001 by Ord.
No. 619]
It shall not be a false alarm, nor shall it be a violation of
this chapter or any other ordinance of the Borough of Fox Chapel to
activate an alarm system as part of an authorized test of the alarm
system or alarm company. An "authorized test" shall mean a test where
the Borough, the dispatching agency and the relevant law enforcement
agency or fire department all receive advance notice of the date,
time, location and duration of the test and do not object to the conduct
of such test.