[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and City Council
of the City of Havre de Grace as indicated in article histories. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 4-15-1991 by Ord. No. 752; amended in its entirety 1-3-2011 by Ord. No.
923]
It is the purpose of this article to promote
and protect the health, safety and general welfare of the City by
providing for the regulation of false alarms from automatic fire alarm
systems which currently reduce the fire-fighting capacity available
for answering legitimate fire calls in the City of Havre de Grace.
For the purpose of this article, the following
terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meaning
given herein. When not inconsistent with the context, words used in
the present tense include the future, words in the plural include
the singular and words in the singular include the plural. The word
"shall" is mandatory and not merely directory.
A person who installs, maintains, monitors, alters, or services
alarm systems. This does not include a person who sells or manufactures
alarm systems unless that person installs, maintains, monitors, alters,
or services alarm systems.
The person who occupies a building, structure, or facility
in which an alarm system is operational.
The Department of Planning of the City of Havre de Grace,
Maryland.
The activation of an alarm system that causes a response
from the Susquehanna Hose Co., Inc. (SHCO) regardless of the cause
that is not in response to an actual emergency and is not deliberate.
This includes:
An alarm signal activated by unusually severe
weather conditions or other causes beyond the control of the alarm
system contractor or alarm user; or
An alarm signal activated during the initial
period of 60 calendar days after an alarm system is installed; or
An alarm signal that causes a response from the SHCO that is
not dispatched as an automatic alarm.
Any person, firm, partnership association, company, corporation,
or organization of any kind.
When an alarm system is responsible for a false
alarm, the Department of Planning, upon written request from the SHCO,
shall issue a citation for a municipal infraction to the alarm user
if the alarm system has been responsible for two or more false alarms
in the previous twelve-month period.
The municipal infraction penalty for a false
alarm violation shall be a fine of $100 for the second false alarm
within a twelve-month period; $500 for the third false alarm in a
twelve-month period; and $1,000 for each subsequent false alarm in
a twelve-month period. Funds collected hereunder shall be deposited
into a public safety account in the general fund of the City and designated
for the purchase of smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
The funds shall only be used to reimburse the SHCO upon proof of the
purchase and distribution of detectors in the City.
An alarm system is defective if it is responsible
for two or more false alarms in a period of 12 months.
The Department of Planning, upon notification
by the Susquehanna Hose Co., Inc., shall provide written notice by
certified mail to the alarm user of a defective alarm system causing
false alarms within one working day.
Upon receiving notice of a defective alarm system,
the alarm user shall:
The written report submitted to the Department
of Planning shall contain:
A.
The Department of Planning shall issue a citation to an alarm user who continues to use a defective alarm system after being notified that the system is defective and fails to comply with the corrective actions as set forth in § 9-7.
B.
The penalty for using a defective alarm system shall
be $200. Each day a violation continues shall be a separate offense.
An alarm system contractor shall notify the
Department of Planning and the Harford County Emergency Operations
Division by telephone prior to servicing an alarm system.
A.
The Department of Planning, upon notification by the SHCO, shall issue a citation to an alarm system contractor who violates § 9-10, while the contractor is servicing an alarm system, if the system is responsible for a false alarm.
B.
The municipal infraction penalty for failing to provide
notice of service shall be a fine of $100 for the first offense; and
$200 for any subsequent offense.
The enforcement of this article shall be the
same as all other ordinances involving municipal infractions. The
enforcement authority granted by this section includes the authority
to bring appropriate actions in the District Court of Maryland.
[Adopted 2-7-2011 by Ord. No. 924[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance was originally adopted
as Ch. 10 but was renumbered to maintain the organization of the Code.
This ordinance also provided an effective date of 3-24-2011.
It is the purpose of this article to promote and protect the
health, safety and general welfare of the City by setting forth the
alarm and detection systems required to be in service in certain buildings
in the City.
For the purpose of this article, the following terms, phrases,
words, and their derivations shall have the meanings given herein.
When not inconsistent with the context, words used in the present
tense include the future, words in the plural include the singular,
and words in the singular include the plural. The word "shall" is
mandatory and not merely directory.
An alarm and detection system properly installed: 1) according
to the Maryland State Fire Law currently found in the public safety
article of the Annotated Code of Maryland — Title 9, Subtitle
1, Smoke Detection Systems, and Title 12, Subtitle 11, Carbon Monoxide
Alarms; 2) according to the manufacturer's written instructions;
and 3) pursuant to the most recent version of the applicable NFPA
Standards, including but not limited to 72, 101, and 720, and UL Standards,
including but not limited to 72, 101, and 720, and UL Standards 217
and 2034, that detects smoke or carbon monoxide ("Maryland State Fire
Law").
The person who occupies a building, structure, or facility
in which an alarm system is required and operational.
The Department of Planning of the City of Havre de Grace,
Maryland.
A.
In addition to the requirements of the Maryland State Fire Law, each
floor of a single-family dwelling, including the basement, shall be
equipped with an approved smoke detector.
B.
In addition to the above requirements, landlords of single-family
dwellings shall have each sleeping area equipped with an approved
smoke detector.
C.
In addition to the above requirements, landlords of multifamily dwellings
shall have each sleeping area equipped with an approved smoke detector,
and each corridor used as a means of egress for exit shall be equipped
with an approved smoke detector.
A.
In addition to the requirements of the Maryland State Fire Law, each
floor of a single-family dwelling, where there are sleeping quarters,
shall be equipped with an approved carbon monoxide detector.
B.
In addition to the above requirements, landlords of multifamily dwellings
shall equip their buildings with one approved carbon monoxide detector
per rental unit per level, including the basement, in a central location.
C.
Notwithstanding the above requirements, all single-family dwellings
that do not have an attached garage, and 1) which are equipped with
electric-only powered appliances for heat, hot water, ventilation
and clothes drying, and 2) which are not equipped with any fossil
fuel/wood-burning devices, are exempt from the requirements regarding
carbon monoxide detectors.
In addition to the requirements of the Maryland State Fire law,
landlords shall at the beginning of each tenancy equip their unit
with the required detectors that are operable and in good repair.
New batteries shall be installed by the landlord at the beginning
of each tenancy. Thereafter, the tenant shall be responsible to maintain
the detectors, i.e., change the batteries. Detectors in common areas
that are not separately leased to a tenant remain the responsibility
of the landlord. After receipt of written notice from the tenant by
certified mail, return receipt requested, the landlord shall replace
or repair an inoperable detector with a comparable approved detector.
A tenant may replace an inoperable detector with a comparable operative
one, but may not otherwise remove or render inoperable a detector.
The owners and operators of bed-and-breakfasts, hotels and motels
shall equip their buildings with smoke detectors and carbon monoxide
detectors in the same manner that a landlord of a multifamily dwelling
is required.
In addition to the requirements of the Maryland State Fire Law,
detectors installed retroactively as required by this Code may be
battery operated.
Landlords and owners and operators of bed-and-breakfasts, hotels
and motels shall have an additional 90 days after the effective date
of this article to install the required detectors.
