[Amended 9-5-2023 by Ord. No. 20-2023]
The purpose of this chapter is to alleviate conditions which
lead to an unnecessary drain on the manpower, time, space, facilities
and finances of the Township of Readington and its Police Department
and Fire Department and to deterioration in the quality of services
to persons subscribing to alarm services. There have been a substantial
number of false alarms associated with alarm systems which have been
installed within the Township. The number of false alarms has resulted
in a situation which, if not remedied, will affect the general health,
safety and welfare of the community and inhibit the response of the
Police Department and Fire Department in a true emergency. The public
interest therefore requires the enactment of rules, regulations, standards
and procedures to regulate and control alarm systems installed within
the Township.
[Amended 9-5-2023 by Ord. No. 20-2023]
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to any person or
alarm business, other than the Township, who operates, maintains or
owns any alarm device producing a visual or audible sign of an emergency
and designed to summon the Police Department or Fire Department or
other municipal agencies to any location in response to any type of
alarm signal. The terms of this chapter shall in no way prohibit alarm
companies from providing services by private source to other offices
within or without the Township; however, this chapter shall apply
to alarm companies providing services by private source to other companies
within or without the Township if the purpose of the furnishing of
such service is to summon the Police or Fire Department of Readington
Township to any location in response to any type of alarm signal.
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
ALARM BUSINESS
Any business operated by a person, partnership or corporation,
for profit, which engages in the activity of altering, installing,
leasing, maintaining, repairing, replacing, selling, servicing or
responding to a fire or burglar alarm system or which causes any of
these activities to take place.
ALARM DEVICE
Any type of alarm-activating equipment which provides warning
of intrusion, fire, smoke, burglary, flood or like peril.
ALARM SYSTEM
The installation in one or more commercial or residential
buildings of one or more alarm devices for the express purpose of
getting visual and/or audible warnings of an emergency such as intrusion,
fire, smoke, burglary, flood or like peril.
ALARM USER
Any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation,
company or organization of any kind in possession or control of any
building, structure or facility wherein an alarm device or system
is maintained, including but not limited to owners, tenants, sublessees,
etc.
CHIEF OF POLICE
The Chief of Police of the Township of Readington Police
Department or his designated representative.
DESIGNATED REPRESENTATIVE
The designee of the Chief of Police or Fire Official who
performs a function required or permitted by this chapter under the
supervision of the Chief of Police or Fire Official.
DIAL ALARM
Any type of alarm system utilizing telephone lines, transmitting
an alarm directly through to the police switchboard, answering service
or alarm company console providing warning of intrusion, fire or other
peril.
FALSE ALARM
Any alarm or signal of alarm actuated by inadvertence, negligence,
intentional or unintentional acts of a person, domestic animal and/or
household pet other than an intruder, and including alarms caused
by mechanical failure, malfunction or improper installation of the
alarm system and related equipment. It shall further include improper
adjustment and/or sensitivity or failure to suppress false indications
due to short flashes of light, wind, noises, rattling or vibrations
of doors or other forces. "False alarm" shall not include actuations
caused by power or phone line interruptions where such interruptions
have been reported to the Police Department or Fire Department.
[Amended 9-5-2023 by Ord. No. 20-2023]
FIRE ALARM EQUIPMENT
Equipment which includes the following:
A.
Devices which automatically detect heat, smoke
or other products of combustion.
B.
Manual systems which activate a fire alarm signal.
C.
Mechanical systems designed and equipped to
detect fires, actuate an alarm and suppress such fires, and include
water flow alarms.
FIRE OFFICIAL
The Fire Official of the Township of Readington or his designated
representative. The Fire Official serves concurrently as Fire Subcode
Official.
FIRE SERVICE
The authorized township fire companies, individually and
collectively acting as the Readington Township Fire Department, providing
fire protection and suppression in the Township of Readington.
[Amended 9-5-2023 by Ord. No. 20-2023]
INDEPENDENT SMOKE DETECTOR
A device giving an audible alarm indicating smoke and/or
fire within the structure and not connected to an alarm system or
to any internal sounding device outside the structure.
LICENSEE
The person who holds the license to install, operate and
maintain the alarm/alarm console pursuant to the provisions of this
chapter.
LOCAL ALARM
Any alarm system which, when activated, produces a signal
not connected to an alarm console or a communication switchboard,
including but not limited to business burglar alarms, actuating bell
or other sound-generating devices and/or light-emitting devices providing
warning of intrusion or other peril. The term "local alarm" shall
not include an alarm system solely connected to a registered motor
vehicle, nor shall the term include equipment designed to signal solely
within a building or series of buildings and which does not emit signals,
visible or audible, to persons outside such building or buildings,
i.e., independent smoke detector.
PERMITTEE or REGISTRANT
Any person who owns an alarm device who has obtained a permit
according to the provisions of this chapter.
PERSON
Any natural person or individual or any firm, partnership,
association, limited partnership, sole proprietorship, corporation
or any other business entity.
[Amended 9-5-2023 by Ord. No. 20-2023]
A. No person shall install, operate, connect or maintain or cause to
be installed, connected, operated or maintained any police, burglary,
fire, automatic emergency or other alarm equipment, device or system
for the purpose of transmitting a visual, audible or electronic signal
or alarm or reporting a signal or alarm to the attention of the Police
Department or Fire Department for the purposes of summoning the Police
Department, Fire Department or any other municipal agency or person
obtaining some response thereto without first having registered such
system in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. Registration
of the system occurs when all information contained on the registration
statement is deemed complete. The Police Department shall provide
a copy of all approved registration forms to the Township Fire Official.
B. No person shall install, connect, operate or maintain or cause to
be installed, connected, operated or maintained any alarm system reporting
to any commercial central alarm receiving station which will result
in the central alarm receiving station requesting the Police Department
and/or Fire Department to respond to any location within the Township
of Readington in response to signals or transmissions from an intrusion
or fire alarm system without first having registered the system with
the Chief of Police as hereinafter provided.
[Amended 9-5-2023 by Ord. No. 20-2023]
Subject to the provisions of §
65-6 hereof, alarm devices which automatically use a pretaped or prerecorded verbal message or other type of message which alerts the Police Department or Fire Department of the Township of Readington that an emergency exists or that its services are needed through the use of these systems and which automatically dials any telephone number to obtain such services are hereby prohibited.