[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the
Town of Carmel 12-30-1992 by L.L.
No. 6-1992. Amendments noted where applicable.]
For the purpose of this chapter, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to
them by this section:
The Town Comptroller's office of the Town of Carmel.
[Added 1-19-1994 by L.L. No. 1-1994]
The written authorization of the permitting authority granted
to any person, business, firm, corporation or other entity to install
or maintain in a residence or place of business any police and/or
fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices.
The period from January 1 until the next succeeding December
31, except for the first year during which an alarm permit is issued,
which year shall commence on the date of permit issuance and shall
end on the next succeeding December 31.
Any facility operated by a private person, firm or entity
which facility receives, records or validates alarm signals and notifies
the Police Department and/or Fire Department when appropriate.
Any signal actuated by a police and/or fire alarm device,
devices or system of police or fire alarm devices which is not the
result of natural disaster, act of God, a criminal act, fire or other
emergency requiring police or fire response. The term "false alarm"
shall include human error and equipment malfunction causing the alarm
to be activated and which results in police and/or fire response.
The Building Department of the Town of Carmel.
[Amended 1-19-1994 by L.L. No. 1-1994]
Any device which, when activated by fire or any other emergency,
transmits a signal, alert, prerecorded message or other indication
directly to any law enforcement facility and/or any centrally stationed
monitoring facility for the purposes of eliciting response by law
enforcement, fire department or any other emergency response personnel.
[Amended 2-1-2017 by L.L. No.
2-2017]
It shall be a violation of this chapter for
any person, business, firm, corporation or other entity to install
or maintain in a residence or place of business any police and/or
fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices
without having obtained an alarm permit from the permitting authority.
[Amended 1-19-1994 by L.L. No. 1-1994]
All applications for alarm permits shall be
submitted to the administrative authority on a form to be supplied
by the administrative authority. Said application shall include a
description of the police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system
of police and/or fire alarm devices installed or maintained or to
be installed and such other information as shall be required by the
administrative authority.
The fees for alarm permits shall be established
annually by resolution of the Town Board of the Town of Carmel and
shall be on file in the office of the Town Clerk.
It shall be a violation of this chapter for
any police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or
fire alarm devices to be connected to the Police Department. Any such
police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or
fire alarm devices must be connected to a central alarm station or
other answering service.
It shall be a violation of this chapter for
any automatic telephone-dialing device to be connected to the telephone
lines of the Police Department. Any such automatic telephone-dialing
device must be connected to a central alarm station or other answering
service.
No person, business, firm, corporation or other
entity shall install, cause to be installed or maintain in a structure,
building or establishment in the Town of Carmel a police and/or fire
alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices
with an external audible and/or visible alarm unless said police and/or
fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices
has an automatic cutoff system or feature which terminates the audible
and/or visible alarm within 15 minutes after it has been activated.
[Amended 1-19-1994 by L.L. No. 1-1994; 5-15-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
A.
The Police Chief of the Town of Carmel shall cause
to be kept an up-to-date and accurate log of all false alarms occurring
in the Town and shall transmit a report of such false alarms to the
permitting authority and the Town Board on a monthly basis or, in
the Police Chief's discretion, on a more frequent basis. Any person,
business, firm, corporation or other entity who has installed or maintains
a police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police and/or
fire alarm devices in a structure, building or establishment in the
Town of Carmel shall pay to the permitting authority, upon demand,
a fine for each and every false alarm originating from their structure,
building or establishment in any alarm permit year in accordance with
a schedule of fines which shall be established annually by resolution
of the Town Board of the Town of Carmel and shall be on file in the
office of the Town Clerk.
B.
Any person, business, firm, corporation or other entity who wishes to appeal the fines imposed pursuant to Subsection A of this section may do so in writing to the Alarms Appeal Board within 30 days of the notification of the imposition of said fines. The Alarms Appeal Board shall consist of three members appointed by the Town Board to serve at its pleasure. One member shall be an active member of one of the Fire Departments which service the Town and the other two members shall be representatives of the general public. The Alarms Appeals Board, upon appeal, shall have the authority to affirm, amend, modify or waive the fines imposed by the permitting authority. All Board decisions shall be in writing and shall be filed with the Town Clerk.
[Amended 8-12-1998 by L.L. No. 7-1998]
C.
Any failure by such person, business, firm, corporation or other entity to pay the aforementioned fines within 30 days of the demand therefore, provided an appeal to the Alarms Appeal Board has not been filed, shall be deemed a violation of this chapter and shall be punishable in accordance with the provisions of § 37-14 of this chapter. If an appeal has been filed with the Alarms Appeal Board, then the 30 days shall commence upon filing of the decision of the Board with the Town Clerk.
The permitting authority is hereby authorized
to grant alarm permits pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
All permit fees and false alarm charges shall
be collected by the permitting authority.
It shall be the duty of the permitting authority
to maintain a record of all alarm permits issued and to make a monthly
report of same to the Town Board and Police Chief.
In order to provide for the orderly institution
of the requirements of this chapter, any person, business, firm, corporation
or other entity which has a police and/or fire alarm device, devices
or system of police and/or fire alarm devices in use on the effective
date of this chapter shall obtain an alarm permit no later than 60
days from the effective date of this chapter. Any police and/or fire
alarm device, devices or system of police and/or fire alarm devices
currently in use which would be prohibited under the provisions of
this chapter must be removed no later than 60 days from the effective
date of this chapter.
None of the provisions of this chapter shall
apply to a police and/or fire alarm device, devices or system of police
and/or fire alarm devices installed in any Town-owned building, Fire
Department-owned building or Volunteer Ambulance Corps-owned building.
None of the provisions of this chapter apply to public or private
school buildings.
Any person, business, firm, corporation or other
entity who does not pay any fee or charge established in this chapter
or who violates any provisions of this chapter shall be subject to
a fine not to exceed $250 for each offense. Each week of continuing
violation shall constitute a separate additional violation.
