[1]
Editor's Note: Former Art. IV, Fire Prevention Code, adopted 9-1-1972 as Ch. 11, Art. II, of the 1972 Code;
amended in its entirety 9-6-2001 by Ord. No. 2924, as
further amended, was repealed 11-14-2023 by Ord. No. 9338. This ordinance also recodified former § 189-9 as § 189-215 and §§ 120-1 through 120-9 as §§ 189-401 through 189-409, respectively.
[Amended 1-14-2020 by Ord. No. 9220]
While recognizing the value of effective alarm and fire protection
systems in deterring crime and preventing fire losses, and while encouraging
the use of such alarm systems, it is the purpose of this chapter to
require minimum standards for alarm and fire protection systems and
services, and to reduce, insofar as possible, the misuse of emergency
public services caused by false alarms.
[Amended 1-14-2020 by Ord. No. 9220]
The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter,
shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where
the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
Any person engaged in the business of installing, assisting
in the installation, servicing, maintaining, repairing, replacing,
moving or removing of alarm systems in the City, and duly licensed
by the State of Oklahoma.
One or more devices designed either to detect and signal an
unauthorized intrusion or entry, or to signal a fire or other emergency
condition, which signals are responded to by public law enforcement
officers, Fire Department personnel, private guards or security officers.
The following devices shall not constitute an alarm system within
the meaning of this chapter:
Devices which do not activate alarms that are audible, visible
or perceptible outside the protected premises.
Devices which are not installed, operated or used for the purpose
of reporting an emergency, either directly or by third party, to the
Police or Fire Department.
Alarm devices affixed to motor vehicles.
Alarm devices installed on a temporary basis by the Police or
Fire Department.
A telephone answering service providing, among its services,
the receiving, on a continuous basis through trained employees, of
emergency signals from alarm systems and the subsequent relaying of
said messages to the City's Communication Center on a person-to-person
basis.
An alarm system which automatically sends over regular telephone
lines, by direct connection or otherwise, any type of communication
or message indicating the existence of an emergency situation that
the alarm system is designed to direct.
An integrated system of underground and overhead piping designed
in accordance with fire protection engineering standards, NFPA 24,
NFPA 13 and other applicable standards.
An office to which alarm systems are connected, where operators
supervise the circuits, and where guards and/or service men are maintained
continuously to investigate signals. For purposes of fire alarms,
information relay systems shall be in compliance with the National
Fire Alarm Code.
An employee of the Police Department who has been assigned
as part of his/her duties to manage the communications function.
The department head over Community Development.
A telephone line leading directly from a central station
to the City's Communication Center on a person-to-person basis.
The existence of a fire or the commission or attempted commission
of a robbery, burglary or other criminal action.
Any person who is employed by an alarm business and who installs,
services, maintains, repairs or replaces alarm systems in the City.
The activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure,
malfunction, the negligence of the alarm business operator or his
employees or agents, or the negligence of the owner, user or lessee
of an alarm system or his employees or agents, or which otherwise
elects a response by a law enforcement agency or a fire department
when a situation requiring such response does not in fact exist. "False
alarm" shall also mean the activation of an alarm system, the purpose
of which is to communicate or indicate a specific emergency situation,
when, in fact, that specific emergency situation does not exist. "False
alarm" does not include, for example, alarms activated by utility
line mishaps, tornadoes, earthquakes or other violent conditions of
nature, or other conditions clearly beyond the control of the alarm
manufacturer, alarm business, installer, owner or user.
Any person who has legal access to an alarm system and has
the ability and authority to reset or rearm the alarm system.
An office to which alarm systems are connected, where operators
supervise the circuits but where guards are not maintained to investigate
alarm signals.
The person, corporation or other entity that has contracted
with the City to receive one or more utility services at a particular
location or, in the absence of such a person, corporation or other
entity, the person, corporation or other entity that is the owner
of record as indicated by the current year's tax rolls in the Canadian
County Treasurer's office.
[Amended 1-14-2020 by Ord. No. 9220]
A.
State license required. It shall be unlawful for any person to own,
manage, conduct or carry on an alarm business within the City unless
such person has a valid state license issued pursuant to the state's
Alarm, Locksmith and Fire Sprinkler Industry Act[1] or Oklahoma State Fire Marshal Licensing Committee; nor
shall any person performing any of the above functions at the time
of the adoption of this chapter fail to obtain such license within
the time provided by the Act.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 59 Okl.St.Ann. § 1800.1 et seq.
B.
Employees. It shall be unlawful for any person who is employed for
the purpose of engaging in the installing, servicing, maintaining,
repairing, moving or removing, in or on any building or other property
within the City, a fire, burglary, robbery, fire protections systems,
or other emergency alarm system, to engage in such activities unless
such person is employed by an alarm business duly licensed pursuant
to the state's Alarm, Locksmith, and Fire Sprinkler Industry Act.
C.
Penalty. Any person who is found in violation of this section shall,
upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished
by a fine not exceeding $200.
[Amended 1-14-2020 by Ord. No. 9220]
A.
Registration. It is unlawful for any person to engage in an alarm
or fire protection system business within the City without registering
with the City's Community Development Director. The registration shall
be valid for a period of one year from the date of registration.
B.
Requirements. Persons engaged in an alarm and fire protection system
business within the City must register with the Community Development
Director within 90 days of the adoption of this chapter and annually
thereafter no later than the anniversary date of the registration.
Persons not presently engaged in, but desiring to engage in, the alarm
business within the City must register with the Community Development
Director prior to engaging in the alarm business and annually thereafter
no later than the anniversary date of the registration. For the purpose
of this section, "anniversary date of registration" means one year
from the date the registration, as described below, is received by
the Community Development Director.
C.
Requirements. The registration required in this section shall be
in the form of a letter containing, as a minimum, the following information:
(1)
Name of the business, local business address and telephone number.
(2)
Name, address and telephone number of the firm, company or corporation
to which the alarm company is subsidiary or under which it is operating.
(4)
The name, business and residential address, and telephone numbers
of the persons managing or operating the alarm business being registered.
(5)
The address and telephone number of the alarm central station.
(6)
Notarized signature and title of the person managing or operating
the alarm business.
D.
Any changes occurring in the foregoing information shall be reported,
in writing, within 30 days of the change to the Community Development
Director.
E.
Penalty. Any person who is found in violation of this section shall,
upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punishable
by a fine not exceeding $200.
[Amended 1-14-2020 by Ord. No. 9220]
A.
Suspension or revocation. In addition to any penalties which may
be imposed for the violation of certain provisions of this chapter,
the City Manager may, after a hearing, suspend, for no more than 60
days, or revoke the registration for any of the following grounds:
B.
Appeal. The City Manager's decision to suspend or revoke the registration
will be in writing and given to the alarm business as expeditiously
as possible. An alarm business whose registration has been suspended
or revoked by the City Manager may appeal such suspension or revocation
to the City Council. Notice of the appeal must be filed with the City
Clerk no later than 10 days from the date of the City Manager's letter
to the alarm business. The City Clerk will place the appeal on the
City Council's agenda for the first possible meeting and will notify
the person filing the appeal of the date and time the appeal will
be heard by the City Council. The City Council may affirm, reverse
or modify the City Manager's decision.
C.
Notification. When the matter is finally resolved, with or without
the appeal process, the Community Development Director will notify,
in writing, the Commissioner of Health of the suspension or revocation
and the reasons thereof.
[Amended 1-14-2020 by Ord. No. 9220]
A.
False alarm notice. If a false alarm occurs at any alarm location,
the Communications Director shall give written notice of the false
alarm to the Police or Fire Chief informing them of the owner, occupant
or resident from which the false alarm originates. After review by
the respective department, the notice shall be sent to the owner,
resident or occupant from which the false alarm originates. The written
notice will be given on a monthly basis, giving the date and the time
the false alarm occurred and the probable cause for the false alarm.
The notice will also include notice of possible assessment and penalty
for excessive false alarms.
B.
Excessive false alarms. A false alarm shall be deemed to be excessive
if it occurs three times within a ninety-consecutive-day period.
C.
Failure to respond. The failure of any owner, occupant, resident
or "key holder" for any alarm to respond to a request by an alarm
company, central station, modified central station, dispatch center
or police or fire officer to attend an activated alarm shall cause
the alarm to be classified as a "False Alarm - Human Error," and shall
be included in that number.
D.
If a key holder does not arrive on the site of an activated alarm
within 30 minutes after notification by police, fire or emergency
service personnel, the activated alarm will be considered as a false
alarm.
E.
Minimum system requirements. Alarm systems that use an audible or
visual alarm device to attract attention of the public shall be equipped
and adjusted so as to automatically discontinue the alarm within 30
minutes after it activates.
F.
Penalty. Any owner that allows excessive false alarms to occur at
any location or violates any provision of this section shall be deemed
to have committed an offense, which may be punishable, upon conviction,
by a fine of not more than $200, plus costs. In lieu of filing a criminal
complaint, the City may assess a service fee to the owner's City utility
account of $50 for each excessive false alarm at any location.
G.
Failure to pay service fees. The City utility services of owners
who fail or refuse to pay service fees assessed under the provisions
of this section on or before the due date of the utility billing on
which the service fees are assessed shall be terminated until the
service fees, utility billing and all fees associated with the termination
of utility services are paid in full.
It shall be unlawful for any person to connect
an alarm system which automatically dials into the City's Enhanced
Nine-One-One (E-911) Emergency Communication System. Any person found
in violation of this section shall, upon conviction, be guilty of
a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $200.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to
all alarm systems, alarm businesses, alarm business employees and
owners or users of alarm systems which are installed, connected, operated,
maintained or existing on or before the effective date of this chapter,
as well as all systems, businesses, employees and owners or users
existing subsequent to the effective date hereof.
[Added 1-14-2020 by Ord.
No. 9220]
A.
The purpose of this section is to provide a consistent, reasonable
degree of protection for the life and property from fire through standardization
of design, installation and testing requirements for fire protection
systems based upon sound engineering principles, test data and field
experience. This section shall be applicable to all new installations,
modifications and/or relocations of more than five appliances in any
structure. All equipment and materials shall be listed as defined
in NFPA and acceptable to the appropriate fire official. All services
or labor shall be performed only by companies and their employees
who are licensed by the Oklahoma State Department of Labor.
B.
Professionally designed plans shall be provided on all fire protection systems. The plans must be submitted to the City and approved, prior to any work being performed as specified in Subsection A of this section.
C.
The City of El Reno Fire Department and the appropriate fire code
officials must be notified of any annual inspections that have been
yellow tagged, red tagged and/or have any deficiency comments. The
Fire Department must be notified immediately if the system has been
red tagged and must be notified with any 72 hours if system has been
yellow tagged.
D.
A minimum safety factor of five psi will be required on all new sprinkler
system installations. This will be demonstrated in the required hydraulic
calculations. Under extreme conditions, the Fire Official may increase
the safety factor as needed in remote locations or high-hazard occupancies.
E.
Any sprinkler system installed as specified in this section shall
be monitored off site, 24 hours a day by a monitoring company so designed
to receive such signals.
F.
An automatic sprinkler shall be provided with audible and visible
notification per NFPA 72.
G.
A document box shall be provided for all new automatic fire sprinkler
systems and fire alarm.
H.
All newly constructed building or modifications to existing buildings
where an automatic fire sprinkler system is required shall have an
exterior access to the control or riser room.
