It shall be the duty and responsibility of the
Millville Fire Department to enforce these regulations.
The Millville Fire Department shall have those
powers and duties which are necessary to carry out the intent and
purpose of these regulations including, but not limited to, the following
enumerated powers and duties:
A.Â
To record and print out all alarms received each month
during the calendar year.
B.Â
To identify which alarms are false alarms, where they
originated, and the date and time each false alarm occurred.
C.Â
To serve a written notice of violation on the user
of an automatic protection device after the Millville Fire Department
has received four false alarms for that user during the calendar year.
D.Â
To investigate violations of these regulations and
file a complaint with the Municipal Court against any person violating
these regulations.
The purpose of this article is to regulate the
standards and manner in which automatic protection and detection devices
are installed, maintained and operated within the City of Millville
to ensure the protection of the public health, safety and welfare.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates
that a different meaning is intended:
Any person who sells, leases or installs automatic protection
devices.
A service whereby trained employees in attendance at all
times receive prerecorded voice messages from automatic protection
devices reporting an emergency at a stated location and who have the
duty to relay immediately by live voice any such emergency message
over a direct or primary trunkline to the county communications center.
Any device, horn or siren, which is attached to the interior
or exterior of a building and emits a warning signal audible outside
the building, and is designed to attract attention when activated
by a fire or other emergency requiring the Fire Department to respond.
An electrically or battery operated instrument composed of
sensory apparatus and related hardware which automatically transmits
an alarm or prerecorded voice message upon receipt of a stimulus from
a sensory apparatus that has detected smoke or heat from an incipient
fire.
A protective system operated privately for customers by a
person who maintains supervisors, trained operators and guards in
attendance at a central station at all times to accept recorded messages
or signals from automatic protection devices and who has the duty
to take appropriate action upon receipt of a recorded message or signal
including the relaying of messages by a direct or primary trunkline
to the county communications center.
The Cumberland County 911 Communication and Training Center.
A telephone line leading into the county communications center
that is for the primary purpose of handling emergency signals which
originate from automatic protection devices which are transmitted
directly from the device.
An unlisted telephone line leading into the county communications
center that is for the primary purpose of handling emergency messages.
Any signal activated by an automatic protection or detection
device, and audible alarm or any other kind of direct or indirect
signal given the county communications center to which the Fire Department
responds, which is not the result of a fire or similar emergency.
A central station protective system or an answering service
as herein defined.
To use a telephone line and equipment to transmit an alarm,
message or signal from an automatic protection device to a particular
location.
A natural person, association, corporation, firm, limited
liability company, partnership, trust or other legal entity.
A telephone line leading into the county communications center
that is for the purpose of handling administrative and other calls
on a person-to-person basis and which line is identified by a specific
listing among the white pages in the telephone directory issued by
Bell Atlantic.
The person authorized to respond other than the listed owner
of the premises who can assist the Fire Department with securing the
premises if necessary.
No person shall install or use an automatic
protection device within the city, which is directly or indirectly
keyed to a designated, direct or primary trunkline, without obtaining
a permit from the City Clerk.
A.Â
No person who installs an automatic protection device
shall directly key said device to a designated trunkline without obtaining
a connection permit from the City Clerk. The fee for the connection
permit shall be $50 and shall be paid once at the time of connection.
B.Â
No person shall use an automatic protection or detection
device within the City without obtaining an annual user permit from
the City Clerk. The fee for the annual user permit is $20 which shall
be paid to the City Clerk when the application is filed. The annual
permit expires on December 31 of each year.
C.Â
Any person who installs a combination police and fire
emergency alarm system shall not be required to pay the connection
fee or the annual user fee for the fire emergency alarm system.
D.Â
Senior citizens and persons totally and permanently
disabled are exempt from the payment of the user fee, but shall otherwise
comply with these regulations.
The application for the connection permit and
the user permit shall be made in writing and filed with the City Clerk
as hereinafter provided.
A.Â
The application for the connection permit shall be
filed with the City Clerk prior to the date when the automatic protection
or detection device is directly keyed to a designated trunkline. The
application shall contain the following information:
(1)Â
The name, address and telephone number of the owner
or lessee of the device;
(2)Â
The address where the device is installed;
(3)Â
The name, address and telephone number of the person
who installed the equipment; and
(4)Â
The name, address and telephone number of the person
who will repair the equipment.
B.Â
The application for the initial user permit shall
be filed with the City Clerk when the automatic protection device
is installed. The application shall contain the following information:
(1)Â
The name, address and telephone number of the owner
or lessee of the device;
(2)Â
The address where the device is installed;
(3)Â
The name, address and telephone number of the person
who installed the equipment;
(4)Â
The name, address and telephone number of the person
who will repair the equipment; and
(5)Â
The name, address and telephone number of the responder.
C.Â
The application for the annual user permit shall be
filed with the City Clerk each year not later than January 31. The
application shall contain the following information:
(1)Â
The name, address and telephone number of the owner
or lessee of the automatic protection or detection device;
(2)Â
The address where the device is installed;
(3)Â
The name, address and telephone number of the person
who will repair the equipment; and
(4)Â
The name, address and telephone number of the responder.
A.Â
Current list of installations required.
(1)Â
Every alarm equipment supplier who has installed an
automatic protection device within the City shall furnish a monthly
report to the Fire Chief and to the City Clerk by the fifth working
day of each month containing a list of all installations made during
the preceding month. The report shall contain the following information:
(a)Â
The name, address and telephone number of the
owner or lessee.
(b)Â
The address where the device is installed and
the telephone number of that address.
(c)Â
The name, address and telephone number of a
central station protection system or any other person who is authorized
to respond to an emergency and gain access to the address where the
device is installed.
(d)Â
The name, address and telephone number of any
person, if any, other than the alarm equipment supplier, who is responsible
for the maintenance and repair of the automatic protection or detection
device.
(e)Â
The monthly report shall also contain any corrections
or deletions, which should be made to a prior month's report including
any disconnection.
(2)Â
All information supplied to the City pursuant to this
subsection shall remain confidential, except as otherwise required
by state law.
B.Â
Operational requirements. Automatic protection or
detection devices installed within the City that are connected to
the county communication center shall meet the center's guidelines.
The type and content of recorded messages sent to the county communications
center must be intelligible and in a format approved by the director
of the county communications center as appropriate for the type of
emergency prior to installation.
C.Â
Technical information. Each alarm equipment supplier
who sells, leases or installs an automatic protection or detection
device within the City shall furnish operating instructions, a circuit
diagram and maintenance manual to the buyer or lessee.
D.Â
Repair service. Each alarm equipment supplier who
sells, leases or installs an automatic protection or detection device
within the City shall provide repair service as follows:
(1)Â
If the supplier provides repair service itself, it
shall make that service available to a user on a twenty-four-hour-per-day
basis for seven days per week.
(2)Â
If the supplier does not provide repair service itself,
it shall furnish to the user at the time that the equipment is installed
written information as to how service may be obtained at any time
including the telephone number for a person responsible for servicing
the equipment.
(3)Â
The buyer or lessee and the service provider shall
be responsible for having a malfunctioning device repaired as quickly
as possible after notice is received that the equipment is not functioning
properly.
E.Â
Testing. No person shall conduct any test or demonstration
of an automatic protection or detection device without first notifying
the communication center and the Millville Fire Department.
Any applicant for a permit may be denied a permit
by the City Clerk or any permit issued may be suspended or revoked
by the Director of Public Safety for any of the following causes:
A.Â
If the applicant or permit holder has had more than
four false alarms in a calendar year, the permit shall not be denied,
suspended or revoked, but the applicant shall be subject to the violations
and penalties contained in this article.
B.Â
If the applicant or permit holder has included materially
false information in the application filed with the City Clerk.
C.Â
The applicant or permit holder may appeal the decision
of the City Clerk or Director of Public Safety by filing a request
for a public hearing before the Board of Commissioners with the City
Clerk within 10 days of receiving the notice of denial, suspension
or revocation of permit. The hearing shall be held within 20 days
of the date that the request is filed with the City Clerk.
[Amended 9-18-2018 by Ord. No. 52-2018]
Any person who shall violate any of these regulations
shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to the following penalties.
Each day that a violation occurs or continues shall be a separate
offense.
A.Â
For the first offense: a minimum fine of $25 and a
maximum fine of $50.
B.Â
For a second offense: a minimum fine of $50 and a
maximum fine of $100.
C.Â
For a third and subsequent offense: a minimum fine
of $100 and a maximum fine of $500, together with a one-year disconnection
of the alarm device.
D.Â
The provisions of this article shall not apply to alarm devices on
property owned by public entities or agencies, or state, local, county
or federal governments.
