The purpose of this chapter is to establish controls concerning emergency signals that require Fire Department or police responses, which are reported either by a signal transmitted by telephone or radio to the Police or Fire Department from a central station or by an audible or visible signal.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Shelter Island 12-9-1997 by L.L. No. 9-1997. Amendments noted where applicable.]
For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:
Any fire or police alarm device or aggregation of fire or police alarm devices installed on or within a single building or buildings located on a common site.
Any facility operated by a private firm that owns or leases a system of fire or police alarm devices and which relays information about activated alarm signals to the Police or Fire Department when appropriate.
Any fire or police alarm device designed to be activated by a fire, criminal act or other emergency at a specific location.
An alarm signal activated by cause or events other than the commission of emergency which the fire alarm system is designed to detect. An alarm system activated by violent or unusual conditions of nature or other extraordinary circumstance not subject to the control of the alarm system owner shall not constitute a false fire alarm.
[Added 12-21-2007 by L.L. No. 11-2007; amended 8-1-2014 by L.L. No. 7-2014]
Any signal activated by an emergency alarm to which the Police Department responds which is not the result of a fire, criminal act or other emergency and to which the Fire Department does not respond.
[Amended 12-21-2007 by L.L. No. 11-2007]
Any device which when activated either transmits a signal by telephone, radio or other means to a central alarm station or directly to the Police or Fire Department, or produces an audible or visible signal.
[Amended 12-21-2007 by L.L. No. 11-2007]
It shall be a violation of this chapter to intentionally and purposefully cause a false police or fire alarm, and any person doing so shall be subject to the penalty provision hereof.
[Amended 2-13-2004 by L.L. No. 4-2004; 12-21-2007 by L.L. No. 11-2007]
A.
Intentional false police or fire alarms.
(1)
Any person who intentionally and purposefully, directly or indirectly, causes a false police or fire alarm shall be subject to a fine of not less than $250. A separate offense shall be deemed committed upon each occurrence.
B.
False police alarms.
[Amended 8-1-2014 by L.L. No. 7-2014]
(1)
Any owner or lessee of property having a police alarm device shall pay to the Town Clerk the following charge for each and every false police alarm to which the Police Department responds, in each calendar year:
(2)
Administrative fees may be collected in a manner and amount acceptable to the Town Attorney consistent with the purposes of this chapter.
C.
False fire alarms.
[Amended 8-1-2014 by L.L. No. 7-2014]
(1)
Any owner or lessee of property having a fire alarm device shall pay to the Town Clerk the following charge for each and every false fire alarm to which the Fire Department responds, in each calendar year:
(2)
Administrative fees may be collected in a manner and amount acceptable to the Town Attorney consistent with the purposes of this chapter.
D.
Each fee collected by the Town for a false fire emergency alarm to which the Fire Department responds pursuant to this chapter shall be applied as follows:
The Shelter Island Police Department shall enforce the provisions of this chapter.
In the event that any portion of this chapter is hereafter found to be invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the remaining portions of this chapter.