[Adopted 6-18-2007 by Ord. No. 407]
The following definitions shall apply in the
interpretation and enforcement of this article.
FALSE FIRE ALARM
Any signal activated by an automatic protection device, any
audible alarm or any other kind of direct or indirect signal given
to which the fire company and/or department or emergency response
agencies respond which is not the result of an attempted fire, or
medical or other similar emergency, excluding weather extremes and
utility interruptions which activate a protection device.
FIRE COMPANY
Includes the Upper Pottsgrove Township fire company, known
as "Upper Pottsgrove Township Fire Company No. 1" and any other emergency
rescue response agency situate within the Township of Upper Pottsgrove
(i.e., ambulance, fire and rescue).
It shall be unlawful for the property owner,
lessee or any person occupying or otherwise on any premises within
the Township of Upper Pottsgrove to make or cause to be made a false
fire alarm, directly or indirectly, to any fire company or other emergency
response agency responding to alarms within the Township of Upper
Pottsgrove, when the false fire alarm is caused by faulty detection
of alarm equipment or by the negligence of said property owner, lessee
or person.
[Adopted 3-21-2016 by Ord. No. 484]
For the purposes of this article the following words and phrases
shall have the meanings given to them in this section, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
ALARM SYSTEM
Any assembly or equipment — mechanical, electrical,
or battery-operated — arranged to signal any emergency services
dispatch of the occurrence of a fire emergency, police emergency,
or hazard emergency requiring urgent attention.
BUILDING OWNER
The record owner of any improved real estate within Upper
Pottsgrove Township.
EMERGENCY SERVICES
Any emergency medical unit dispatched to respond to a fire
emergency, police emergency, or hazard emergency in Upper Pottsgrove
Township, including but not limited to the Fire Department and Police
Department.
FALSE ALARM
An alarm activated willfully, or by inadvertence, negligence,
or unintentional act, and in the absence of the need for emergency
services, to which emergency services in fact respond.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
The Upper Pottsgrove Township Fire Department, its successors,
and its designated backup units.
FIRE EMERGENCY
Fire, smoke, or heat condition, or an activation of an automatic
extinguishing system due to fire or heat condition indicating a fire.
HAZARD EMERGENCY
An explosion or leak of a toxic gas, liquid, or solid, or
a potential explosion or leak of a toxic gas, liquid, or solid, or
an electrical or other utility leak, short, or interruption of any
nature that may cause a hazard to the public.
KNOX-BOX®
A high-security key box system manufactured by the Knox Company
of Irvine, California, designed to give emergency services access
to locked buildings and other secured areas.
LOCK BOX
A Knox-Box® or other lock box of similar quality and
design which meets or exceeds the specifications of the Knox-Box®
3200 series.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Upper Pottsgrove Township Police Department, its successors,
and its designated backup units and/or departments.
POLICE EMERGENCY
Any activation of an alarm system, automatic, manual, or
by any other means, that would generate a request for immediate police
response.
RESIDENTIAL BUILDING
Detached one-family and two-family dwellings and multiple
single-family dwellings which are not more than three stories in height
with a separate means of egress, and includes accessory structures.
Any location with an alarm system shall have its street number
clearly posted so that the same will be visible at night from the
street.
After the effective date of this article, building owners shall
be required to install a lock box, the number and location of which
shall be prescribed by the Township or its designee, when:
A. Any Commercial Building connected to an alarm system which experiences
two false alarms within 12 consecutive months.
B. An alarm system is installed in any Commercial Building. A certificate
of occupancy shall not be issued until said lock box is installed
and placed into service.
C. Any Commercial Building undergoes a change in the use-occupancy.
D. Hazardous materials capable of producing a hazardous emergency are
handled, used, or stored within any Commercial Building.
Any building owner subject to this article shall immediately
notify the Township or its designee when any lock relevant hereto
is changed or rekeyed and provide the Township or its designee a new
key. The new key shall be secured in the lock box.
The Township or its designee may establish uniform rules and
regulations governing all buildings subject to this article with regard
to the type, location, installation, use, maintenance, and replacement
of any lock boxes within the Township.
The rights and remedies of the Township as prescribed by the
article or otherwise by law with respect to lock boxes, and the criminal
sanctions herein provided, shall be cumulative, and the pursuit of
one shall in no way preclude simultaneous or subsequent pursuit of
another.