[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Arbor
Vitae Ord. No. 01-2012. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire Department — See Ch. 38.
The purpose of this chapter is to place responsibility on the
alarm user to prevent, by use of appropriate mechanical, electrical,
or other means, false fire alarms.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply throughout the geographical
area serviced by the Arbor Vitae Fire/Rescue Department.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The person or other entity that owns, possesses controls,
occupies, or manages any premises as defined below.
A signal from a fire alarm system that elicits a response
by the Fire Department when no actual or threatened fire-related emergency
exists. This definition includes signals activated by negligence,
accident, mechanical failure, and electrical failure; signals activated
intentionally in nonemergency situations; and signals for which the
actual cause of activation is unknown. It is a rebuttable presumption
that a fire alarm is false if personnel responding from the Fire Department
do not discover any evidence of fire or other emergency after following
normal Fire Department operating procedures in investigating the incident.
An alarm is not false if the alarm user proves that:
An individual activated the alarm based upon a reasonable belief
that a fire-related emergency existed;
The alarm system was activated by lightning or an electrical
surge that caused physical damage to the system, as evidenced by the
testimony of a licensed alarm system contractor who conducted an on-site
inspection and personally observed the damage to the system;
The alarm was activated by vandals.
Any assembly of equipment, mechanical or electrical, arranged
to signal the occurrence of fire-related emergencies requiring urgent
attention and to which the Fire Department personnel may reasonably
be expected to respond.
The building or structure or portion of a building or structure
upon which is installed or maintained a fire alarm system.
A fire alarm user shall conspicuously post at the main entrance
to the alarm user's premises a notice stating.
A.Â
The name of an individual or alarm company able and authorized to
enter the premises and deactivate the alarm;
B.Â
Emergency telephone numbers by which those individuals can be reached
at all times; and
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. II)]
C.Â
The name and address of the alarm user. The information must be kept
current and failure to update this information within 48 hours of
any change constitutes a violation of this chapter.
No fire alarm user shall cause, allow, or permit its fire alarm
system to give three or more false alarms in any calendar year.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. II)]
After the second and each subsequent false fire alarm in one
calendar year, the alarm user must, within 30 days, file a written
certificate with the Fire Department from a licensed fire alarm contractor
stating that the fire alarm system has been inspected since the last
false alarm and is functioning properly.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. II)]
After two false fire alarms in one calendar year, violations
shall be punished as follows:
This chapter shall be enforced by the Town of Arbor Vitae and
the Arbor Vitae Fire/Rescue Department.
