§ 18-93. Equipment operation and maintenance.

(a)

Each alarm user, at his expense, is required to maintain all components of his alarm system in good working order at all times to ensure that the sensory mechanism used in connection with such device is adjusted to suppress false indications of holdups or intrusions or fire or smoke conditions so that the device will not be activated by impulses due to short flashes or light, wind, noises, vehicular noise or other forces unrelated to genuine alarms.

(b)

No alarm system designed to transmit emergency messages shall be tested or demonstrated without first notifying the central station, 911 central communications and the fire department.

(c)

Fire alarm systems shall be required to have a maintenance contract for testing and inspections in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards: for example, smoke and/or heat detectors, manual pull stations and water flow alarms (sprinkler systems). Copies of the maintenance contract and test results of the fire alarm system shall be forwarded to the fire marshal within 30 days from the date of the test.

(d)

The alarm user shall make every reasonable effort to respond or cause a representative to respond to the alarm system's location within 30 minutes when notified by law enforcement to deactivate a malfunctioning alarm system, to provide access to the premises, or to provide security for the premises.

(e)

The alarm user shall maintain the premises and the alarm system in a manner that will minimize or eliminate false alarm dispatches.

(f)

The alarm user shall not manually activate an alarm system for any reason other than an occurrence of an event that the alarm system was intended to report.

(g)

An alarm user shall adjust the mechanism or cause the mechanism to be adjusted so that an alarm signal audible on the exterior of an alarm site will sound for no longer than ten minutes after being activated, or 15 minutes for systems operating under Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. Standards 365 or 609.

(h)

Within 15 days after the second false alarm dispatch to an alarm site in any one-year period, the alarm user shall have a properly licensed alarm business inspect his alarm system. After the third false alarm dispatch in any one-year period, the alarm user shall have a properly licensed alarm business modify the alarm system to be more false alarm resistant or provide additional user training, as appropriate. The alarm user shall provide written documentation to the sheriff or fire marshal, as appropriate, of such inspection, modification, or training within 30 days of the false alarm dispatch which necessitated such service.

(Code 1982, § 1-2.5-7; Ord. No. 87-44, pt. A, 11-17-1987; Ord. No. 99-10, pt. B, 8-24-1999)