[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of
Lansdowne 2-15-1989 by Ord. No. 1088. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Building construction — See Ch. 146.
The following definitions shall apply in the interpretation
and enforcement of this chapter:
Any assembly of equipment, mechanical, electrical or battery
operated, arranged to signal the occurrence of a police, fire, hazard
or medical emergency requiring urgent attention and to which police
or fire units are expected to respond.
A service whereby trained employees, in attendance at all
times, receive prerecorded voice messages from automatic dialing devices
reporting an emergency at a stated location, where such employees
have the duty to relay immediately by live voice any such emergency
message over a trunk line to the communications center of the Police
or Fire Department.
Any device, bell, horn or siren which is attached to the
interior or exterior of a building, structure or facility and is designed
to attract attention when activated by a criminal act or other emergency
requiring Police or Fire Department response.
A device which is interconnected to a telephone line and
is programmed to transmit a signal by a voice or coded message that
indicates that an emergency condition exists and the need for an emergency
response is required.
The Borough of Lansdowne.
A protective system or group of such systems operated privately
for customers by a person, firm or corporation which accepts recorded
messages from automatic dialing devices at a central station having
operators and guards in attendance at all times who have the duty
to take appropriate action upon receipt of a signal or message, including
the relaying of messages to the communications center of the Police
or Fire Department.
The administrative head of the Lansdowne Police Department.
An individual appointed by and accountable directly and solely
to the Chief of Police.
A police, fire, hazard or medical emergency.
An alarm activated in the absence of an emergency, whether
willfully or by inadvertence, negligence or unintentional act, to
which the Police Department or Fire Department responds. The definition
excludes alarms caused by malfunctions of the County Department of
Emergency Services receiving equipment; alarms for which the user
has attempted to cancel response; testing or repairing of telephone
or electrical lines or equipment outside the premises; acts of God,
such as earthquake, flood, windstorm, thunder or lightning; an attempted
illegal entry; a crime in progress; or, in the case of emergency medical
alarm, an actual medical emergency requiring police, fire and/or medical
personnel. If doubt exists as to the cause of the false alarm, the
Chief of Police or his designee shall make a decision regarding the
circumstances of the activation.
Multiple alarms received by the Police Department or Fire Department
before the system can be deactivated or repaired within a reasonable
period of time shall be considered a single alarm.
The definition of a false alarm also includes the intentional
activation of a holdup alarm for other than a holdup in progress,
the intentional activation of a burglary alarm for other than a burglary,
the intentional activation of a medical alarm for other than a medical
emergency or the intentional activation of a fire alarm for other
than a fire or hazard.
The Lansdowne Fire Company.
A fire.
An explosion, leak of toxic gas, liquid or solid, or a potential
explosion or leak.
A central station protective system or an answering service
as herein described.
To use a telephone line and equipment for transmitting a
message, either directly or indirectly, by an automatic dialing device.
An emergency involving the health of a person.
The police and fire communications rooms and other rooms
which house communications equipment and the police radio dispatcher.
The Lansdowne Police Department.
An incident requiring prompt response by the Police Department.
A telephone line leading into the communications centers
of the Police or Fire Departments that is for the purpose of handling
calls on a person-to-person basis and which is identified by a specific
listing among the white pages in the telephone directory issued by
the telephone company.
On or after the effective date of this chapter, owners or users
of audible alarms must equip such audible alarms with a timing mechanism
that will disengage the audible alarm after a maximum of 15 minutes.
Audible alarms without such a timing mechanism shall be unlawful in
the Borough of Lansdowne and must be disconnected by the owner or
user within 60 days from the effective date of this chapter.
On and after the effective date of this chapter, all automatic
dialing devices that transmit recorded messages directly to the Police
Department or Fire Department shall be keyed to the County Department
of Emergency Services Radio Room (telephone lines separate and distinct
from the trunk lines for the communications center).
A.
All owners, occupiers and tenants of real property in the Borough
of Lansdowne on or in which an alarm system exists or is hereafter
installed shall register such system with the Chief of Police of the
Borough of Lansdowne and supply to him the following information in
writing:
(1)
The address of the property.
(2)
The name, address and telephone number of the owner of the property.
(3)
The names and telephone numbers of all occupants and tenants of the
property.
(4)
The name, address and telephone number of any person, firm or corporation,
if any, other than the owners, occupiers or tenants who is responsible
for maintenance and repair of the alarm system.
(5)
The name, address and telephone number of any other person or firm
who is authorized to respond to an emergency and gain access to the
property where the alarm system is installed.
(6)
A description of the alarm system.
(7)
How the alarm system will be received by the communications center
(tapes, central station, etc.).
(8)
Any additional information as may be determined by the Chief to be
necessary for the safety of property or persons responding to alarms
and helping to prevent false alarms.
(9)
Consent to the entry upon the real property in or on which the alarm
system is installed and to the inspection of the alarm system.
B.
A battery-powered (nine-volt, 11.2-volt or similar voltage) audible
alarm system or an electrically energized audible alarm system whose
sole purpose is to notify the occupants of that location of an emergency
situation shall be exempt from the registration requirements of this
chapter if all of the following conditions exist:
(1)
The alarm is not connected to any mechanical or electrical device
that automatically notifies a person or agency outside that location
that the alarm system is activated.
(2)
The audible alarm does not sound outside the location (no external
speakers).
(3)
The internal signal emitted by the audible alarm does not exceed
90 decibels.
(4)
The internal alarm does not cause undue annoyance or alarm to occupants
of adjoining premises.
The public safety requires that the incidence of false alarms
and malfunctioning automatic dialing services be kept to a minimum
so as to reduce unnecessary calls to the Police and Fire Departments
and to increase the effectiveness of properly functioning alarm systems.
In order to enforce this and to reduce the incidence of false alarms
and malfunctioning alarm systems, it is necessary that appropriate
Borough officials have the right to inspect the installation and operation
of any alarm system installed in the Borough. The continuance of the
use of any alarm system already installed on the effective date of
this chapter, as well as the registration and installation of an alarm
system installed after the effective date of this chapter, shall constitute
consent by the owners, occupiers and tenants of the real property
to the entry upon the real property and inspection of the installation
and operation of such alarm system by the Chief of Police or his designee.
All such entries upon the real property where an alarm system is installed
and all such inspections of the installation and operation of alarm
systems shall be at reasonable times and upon reasonable notice except
in emergency situations.
No person shall conduct any test or demonstration of any alarm
system without first notifying the shift supervisor of the Borough
police.
A.
Any police officer or fireman responding to an alarm determined to
be false shall promptly report the incident to the Chief of Police
in writing, and the Chief shall within 10 days after receipt of such
report notify in writing by United States mail the owner, occupier
and tenants of the real property as disclosed in the registration
of the alarm system.
B.
Charges.
(1)
For the purpose of defraying the costs of the Police and Fire Departments
for responding to false alarms, the owners, occupiers and tenants
of the real property in or on which the alarm system exists, the users
of any alarm system, the persons using the services of an intermediary
and users of any kind of direct or indirect connection with the police
or fire communication center, except persons using the two-way live
voice communication by telephone, shall be charged and pay to the
Borough for all false alarms originating on the real property in accordance
with the following schedule:
(2)
Such charges shall be paid to the Borough of Lansdowne within 10
days of receipt of notice thereof. Charges provided for false alarms
that are relayed or transmitted by an intermediary shall be the responsibility
of the owner or user of the alarm system.
[Amended 6-16-1999 by Ord. No. 1155]
Violation of any provision of this chapter, including but not
limited to failure to pay the charges herein imposed for false alarms,
shall constitute a summary offense punishable by a fine not to exceed
$1,000, plus costs of prosecution. Such fine and costs shall be collected
before the Magisterial District Judge as like fines and penalties
are now by law collectible. Each twenty-four-hour period in which
failure to comply continues shall constitute a separate offense.
