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. 
To record and print out all alarms received each month during the calendar year.
B. 
To identify which alarms are false alarms, where they originated, and the date and time each false alarm occurred.
C. 
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. 
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:
ALARM EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER
Any person who sells, leases or installs automatic protection devices.
ANSWERING SERVICE
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.
AUDIBLE ALARM
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.
AUTOMATIC DETECTION DEVICE
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.
CENTRAL STATION PROTECTIVE SYSTEM
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.
COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER
The Cumberland County 911 Communication and Training Center.
DESIGNATED TRUNKLINE
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.
DIRECT TRUNKLINE
An unlisted telephone line leading into the county communications center that is for the primary purpose of handling emergency messages.
FALSE ALARM
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.
INTERMEDIARY
A central station protective system or an answering service as herein defined.
KEY
To use a telephone line and equipment to transmit an alarm, message or signal from an automatic protection device to a particular location.
PERSON
A natural person, association, corporation, firm, limited liability company, partnership, trust or other legal entity.
PRIMARY TRUNKLINE
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.
RESPONDER
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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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) 
The name, address and telephone number of the owner or lessee of the device;
(2) 
The address where the device is installed;
(3) 
The name, address and telephone number of the person who installed the equipment; and
(4) 
The name, address and telephone number of the person who will repair the equipment.
B. 
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) 
The name, address and telephone number of the owner or lessee of the device;
(2) 
The address where the device is installed;
(3) 
The name, address and telephone number of the person who installed the equipment;
(4) 
The name, address and telephone number of the person who will repair the equipment; and
(5) 
The name, address and telephone number of the responder.
C. 
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) 
The name, address and telephone number of the owner or lessee of the automatic protection or detection device;
(2) 
The address where the device is installed;
(3) 
The name, address and telephone number of the person who will repair the equipment; and
(4) 
The name, address and telephone number of the responder.
A. 
Current list of installations required.
(1) 
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) 
The name, address and telephone number of the owner or lessee.
(b) 
The address where the device is installed and the telephone number of that address.
(c) 
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) 
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) 
The monthly report shall also contain any corrections or deletions, which should be made to a prior month's report including any disconnection.
(2) 
All information supplied to the City pursuant to this subsection shall remain confidential, except as otherwise required by state law.
B. 
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. 
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. 
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) 
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) 
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) 
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. 
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. 
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. 
If the applicant or permit holder has included materially false information in the application filed with the City Clerk.
C. 
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. 
For the first offense: a minimum fine of $25 and a maximum fine of $50.
B. 
For a second offense: a minimum fine of $50 and a maximum fine of $100.
C. 
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. 
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.