[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Malta 8-4-1987 by L.L. No. 3-1987. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire prevention and building construction — See Ch. 89.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Emergency Fire Alarm System Law of the Town of Malta."
This chapter is to promote the health, safety and general welfare of the people of the Town of Malta, New York, including the protection of the property of the Town and its inhabitants by proposing regulations on the installation and maintenance of fire alarms in the Town of Malta.
For the purpose of this chapter, the words and phrases set forth in this section shall be defined as set forth in this section:
EMERGENCY FIRE ALARM
Any fire alarm system designed to send a signal, recorded, coded or otherwise, which terminates in any manner at the Malta Ridge Volunteer Fire Company or the Round Lake Hose Company or at a facility responsible for monitoring such alarm system, or any fire alarm system designed to emit an audible signal at the exterior of the premises of the alarm installation.
FALSE ALARM
Any alarm which is not an actual fire, smoke condition or emergency situation. "False alarms" include but are not limited to false activation by voltage spikes, power outages, line failures, employee errors, equipment malfunction and tests conducted without notifying the appropriate fire company.
[Added 11-7-1991 by L.L. No. 1-1991]
Each and every emergency fire alarm system in the Town of Malta shall be properly maintained in operating condition by the building owner or his agent.
The Town of Malta shall have the authority to promulgate rules and regulations governing the operation, testing and maintenance of each fire alarm system.
A. 
The second false alarm within a ninety-day period shall cause a penalty of $50. to be levied against the owner of any premises from which said false alarms have been emitted, whether caused by human error or malfunction of equipment. The fine for any additional false alarms within said ninety-day period shall be fifty dollars $50. Nothing in this chapter shall protect any person from criminal prosecution under the New York State Penal Law covering in any manner the intentional transmission of false alarms.
B. 
Following any response to any emergency fire alarm which subsequent investigation determines to be false and the notification of said fact by either Fire Department to the owner or his representative of the premises from which the alarm emanated, the owner or representative shall file a written report with the Department within 72 hours of such notification. Such report shall contain all information pertaining to the activation of said emergency fire alarm and planned corrective action, if any. When the emergency fire alarm is serviced by a fire alarm supplier, a copy of the report shall be forwarded to said emergency fire alarm supplier.
Each and every fire alarm system which terminates in any manner at the Malta Ridge Volunteer Fire Company or the Round Lake Hose Company or at a facility responsible for monitoring such alarm system must be electrically wired so as to also terminate at the home or place of business of the owner or a representative of the subject premises, and such owner or representative must immediately report to the scene of the alarm.
Each and every fire alarm system which is audible at the scene of the alarm shall be installed with a timer which will discontinue the signal after a maximum of 30 minutes and which must be manually resent.
There shall be no testing of emergency fire alarms which would normally summon the appropriate fire company unless such test is first cleared, verified and authorized by all entities and/or agencies where such alarm terminates.
The owner of each premises which contains an emergency fire alarm as herein set forth must provide the local Fire Department and the Saratoga County Fire Control Center with a list of three (3) people, their addresses and telephone numbers, who may be contacted in the event that an alarm is received, who will be able to grant access to the subject premises.
A. 
The Town of Malta, the Malta Ridge Volunteer Fire Company or the Round Lake Hose Company shall not be liable for any defects in operation of emergency fire alarm systems nor for failure to respond appropriately nor for any erroneous response pursuant to the provisions of this chapter with respect to the installation, operation and maintenance of equipment, the transmission of alarm systems or messages nor the relaying of such systems or messages.
B. 
In the event that the Town of Malta or the appropriate Fire Department finds it necessary to disconnect any signaling device, said Town of Malta and/or said appropriate Fire Department shall incur no liability therefrom.
[Amended 5-1-1995 by L.L. No. 2-1995]
The penalty for violation of any of the provisions of this chapter or any rules or regulations promulgated pursuant hereto, except where such fine is specifically provided for in said provision, rule or regulation, shall be a maximum fine of $250 or imprisonment for not more than 15 days, or both.
The duly designated Town of Malta Fire Marshal may enforce the provisions of this chapter and may investigate and report to a Town Justice of the Town of Malta concerning any violation hereof and see to it that the order or orders of the Town Justice in such case are carried out.
Upon the receipt of a signed complaint by the Town Justice concerning any violation of this chapter, the Town Justice may summon the alleged violator person before him; if the summons is disregarded, the Justice may permit the filing of an information and issue a warrant for the arrest of such person.