[Ord. No. 1009, 6/22/2020]
As used in this Part, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
A small storage device that can be attached to a door handle
or affixed to a wall with a key or keys locked into it and then opened
with a key or an access code that is inputted manually.
[Ord. No. 1009, 6/22/2020]
1.
Following the date of enactment of this Part, all new construction
of the following structures shall be equipped with a key lock box
at, or near, the main access door, or such other location as required
by the authorized agent(s) of the Bloomsburg Fire Department: commercial
buildings, office buildings, schools, and multiresidential apartment
buildings, and any commercial building that is regulated by the Uniform
Construction Code or the International Property Maintenance Code.
2.
All commercial buildings in existence at the time of enactment of
this Part, including office buildings and multiresidential apartment
buildings that are required to have automatic fire alarms in accordance
with the Code of Ordinances of the Town of Bloomsburg, with or without
digital trouble panels, automatic fire suppression systems, interconnected,
wireless, or independent smoke alarms, must have the following:
A.
A business card size or larger notice of primary and secondary emergency
contact phone numbers which shall be posted at, or near, the front
entrance of the building, as set forth by Bloomsburg Fire Department
guidelines. The notice shall be constructed of materials that will
not deteriorate due to weather (i.e., metal, plastic, or stickers
affixed to windows or doors) and which are visible at the time of
an emergency.
B.
Phone calls placed to any primary and secondary emergency contact
phone numbers by emergency personnel shall connect to a phone that
is answered by the building owner, tenant, or designee, who shall
be available to respond within 25 minutes from the time of notification
of an alarm in order to provide access to all areas of the building.
No emergency contact phone numbers shall be connected to a voice mailbox
that is full or not established.
3.
Building owners that have digital access codes to their buildings
shall provide the access code to emergency personnel to prevent a
nonresponse at the time they are notified of an alarm. However, if
the access code does not permit access to utility or maintenance rooms
or to the alarm system or its trouble panel, then a physical response
may be necessary, and the building owner shall be notified by phone
and a twenty-five-minute response from the time of notification will
be required.
[Ord. No. 1009, 6/22/2020]
All buildings subject to this Part, as set forth above, in existence at the time of enactment of this Part may voluntarily install a key lock box subject to the guidelines herein. New construction following the date of enactment of this Part, and building owners mandated to install key lock boxes for violations of § 7-405 below, shall follow the guidelines set forth by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
1.
The location and contents of the key lock box shall be provided to
the Bloomsburg Fire Department, including the labeling of keys and
access to locked gates, driveways, monitoring panels, alarm systems,
and maintenance or utility rooms.
2.
The Bloomsburg Fire Department will be responsible for the annual
maintenance of all key lock boxes in the Town of Bloomsburg. Building
owners and tenants shall not be responsible for maintenance fees for
key lock boxes.
3.
The Bloomsburg Fire Department will maintain insurance for the re-keying
of the key lock boxes in the event of lost master keys.
4.
The Bloomsburg Fire Department will notify any key lock box owner
within 24 hours of its knowledge that a key has been lost.
5.
A master list of keys locked in each key lock box shall be maintained
by the building owner and the Bloomsburg Fire Department.
[Ord. No. 1009, 6/22/2020]
Any building subject to this Part, as set forth above, which
has an automatic alarm system which requires a Fire Department or
Police Department dispatch shall have a designee who is able to provide
access to all areas of the building and who can respond to the property
within 25 minutes from the time of notification by the 911 Center.
It is customary for the 911 Center to time stamp the call to the property
designee and, once on the scene, it is customary for the Bloomsburg
Fire Department and/or the Bloomsburg Police Department to notify
the 911 Center to record their response time. If the building owner
does not comply with the above provisions, the Bloomsburg Police Department
or the Code Enforcement Office shall request a certified copy of the
911 Center records for the purpose of filing citations against the
building owner.
[Ord. No. 1009, 6/22/2020]
Penalties to an owner of a building which is subject to this
Part, as set forth above, for failure to comply with this Part shall
be as follows, and the warning/infraction phase will be based on a
rolling twenty-four-month basis starting from the date of the first
infraction and written warning notice as provided for below:
1.
The first infraction of nonresponse or response greater than 25 minutes
from the time of notification shall result in a written warning from
the Bloomsburg Police Department or Code Enforcement Office.
2.
Thereafter, any building owner violating this Part shall, upon conviction
in a summary proceeding, be sentenced to pay a fine, together with
costs of prosecution, to the use of the Town of Bloomsburg, in accordance
with the following graduated penalties:
A.
A second infraction of nonresponse or response greater than 25 minutes
from the time of notification shall subject the building owner to
a fine not exceeding $250.
B.
A third infraction of nonresponse or response greater than 25 minutes
from the time of notification shall subject the building owner to
a fine not exceeding $500.
C.
A fourth infraction of nonresponse or response greater than 25 minutes
from the time of notification shall subject the building owner to
an option of either a fine of $500 or installation of a key lock box
within 60 days of the fourth infraction.
D.
A fifth infraction of nonresponse or response greater than 25 minutes
from the time of notification shall subject the building owner to
a fine not exceeding $750 and the mandatory installation of a key
lock box within 60 days of the fifth infraction.
3.
Failure of the building owner to install the key lock box or failure
to provide the necessary access keys will subject the building owner
to a $1,000 fine for every nonresponse or response greater than 25
minutes from the time of notification thereafter, and imprisonment
of no greater than 10 days may be included at the time of a subsequent
fine of $1,000.
4.
Owners of buildings that are mandated to install key lock boxes will
abide by the same provisions as building owners who install the boxes
voluntarily. Once a key lock box has been installed on a building,
the key lock box shall remain on the building and shall meet all the
requirements of this Part.
