[Adopted 2-12-1996 by Ord.
No. 964 (Sec. 10-35 of the 1979 Code)]
[Amended 10-12-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-24]
All existing and future installations of dialing devices shall be interconnected
to a special trunk line.
[Amended 10-12-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-24]
Prior to the connection of any automatic dialing devices to the special
trunk line, an alarm user's permit must be obtained from the Town at the Fire
Department's headquarters. The alarm user's permit fee shall be made payable
to the general fund of the Town of Johnston, Rhode Island. The fee shall be
an annual permit fee of $50 required from January 1 to December 31, with all
renewals in January. The permit shall be physically upon the premises using
the alarm system and shall be available for inspection.
[Amended 10-12-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-24]
The Town of Johnston shall not be liable for any defects in the operation
of automatic protection devices and signal lines of the system nor for any
failure or neglect to respond appropriately upon receipt of any alarm from
such a source.
[Amended 10-12-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-24]
No permit issued pursuant to this section shall be transferable.
[Amended 10-12-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-24]
A.Â
BUILDING
FALSE ALARM
FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS
For the purpose of this section, the following words
or phrases shall be defined as follows:
Any structure with sides and a roof constructed of any materials
and used for any purpose.
Any alarm of fire received by the Fire Department for which there
is no fire and for which apparatus and/or personnel are dispatched.
A system which actuates a fire alarm signal either by automatically
detecting a fire condition or by manual activation.
B.Â
Immediately after the Fire Department has recorded the
fourth false alarm in any consecutive twelve-month period from the same building,
the Fire Department shall notify the building owner in writing of such fact.
C.Â
Plan to eliminate false alarms.
(1)Â
The building owner or his authorized representative shall
file with the Fire Department within five days of receipt of the notification
a plan designed to eliminate the false alarms.
(2)Â
If the building owner fails to submit a timely plan satisfactory
to the Fire Chief, then he/she shall be charged a fee of $500 for each additional
false alarm for the remainder of the consecutive twelve-month period or until
a plan is approved by the Fire Chief.
(3)Â
If the building owner submits a satisfactory plan to
the Fire Department and subsequently has two additional false alarms in the
consecutive twelve-month period, the building owner shall be charged a fee
of $500 for each additional false alarm (starting after the second false alarm)
for the remainder of the consecutive twelve-month period.
D.Â
It shall be the building owner's responsibility
to ensure that all reasonable measures are used to prevent and eliminate false
alarms.
E.Â
Liability. The Town of Johnston, its Fire Department,
and any of its employees, shall under no circumstances be held liable for
any defects in the operation of automatic fire protection devices and fire
signaling systems, for a fire alarm not being received by the Fire Department,
or for any failure or neglect to respond appropriately upon receipt of any
false alarm of fire.
F.Â
This section shall not apply to fire alarm systems connected
to automatic dialers in one-, two-, and three-family residential buildings.
G.Â
Fees for false alarms shall be paid to the Town of Johnston.
An alarm system user whose permit has been revoked may apply for a new
permit. The Fire Department may impose reasonable restrictions and conditions
upon issuing a new permit to an alarm user, with respect to the particular
system for which the permit was revoked.
