BC 1998 12 21 - Laserfiche WebLink

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111 ALARMS RESPONDED TO BY EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCIES SECTION 1. PURPOSE (A) The purpose of this ordinance is to encourage Alarm Users and Alarm Businesses to maintain the operational reliability and properly use Alarm Systems and to reduce or eliminate False Alarm Dispatch Requests. (B) This ordinance governs users of systems intended to summon law enforcement, fire department or emergency medical services response, requires permits, establishes fees, provides for penalties for violations, establishes a system of administration, and sets conditions for suspension or loss of permits. SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS. In this ordinance: (A) Alarm Administrator means a Person or Persons designated by the county manager to administer, control and review alarm applications, permits and Alarm Dispatch Requests. (B) Alarm Business means the business, by an individual, partnership, corporation or other entity of selling, leasing, maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving, installing or Monitoring an Alarm System in an Alarm Site. (C) Alarm Dispatch Request means a notification to the law enforcement, fire or emergency medical dispatch center by the Alarm Business that an alarm, either manual or automatic has been activated at a particular Alarm Site. (D) Alarm Review Authority shall mean the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners. (E) Alarm Site means a single premises or location served by an Alarm System or systems. Each tenancy, if served by a separate Alarm System in a multi-tenant building or complex shall be considered a separate Alarm Site. (F) Alarm System means a device or series of devices, including, but not limited to, systems interconnected with hard wires or with radio frequency signals, which are designed to discourage or detect crime, detect smoke or fire, or summons emergency medical assistance by emitting or transmitting a remote or local audible, visual or electronic signal indicating an alarm condition. Alarm System does not include: (1) an alarm installed on a vehicle unless the vehicle is permanently located at a site; or (2) an alarm designed to alert only the inhabitants of a premises that does not have a sounding device which can be heard on the exterior of the Alarm Site. (G) Alarm User means any Person, firm, partnership, corporation or other entity who (which) uses an Alarm System at its Alarm Site. (H) Chief means the duly appointed Chief of a police or fire department. (I) Conversion means the transaction or process by which one Alarm Business begins Monitoring of an Alarm System previously monitored by another Alarm Business. (J) False Alarm Dispatch means an Alarm Dispatch Request to the dispatch center, when the appropriate responding official (law enforcement officer, emergency medical personnel or fire department personnel) finds no evidence of a criminal offense or attempted criminal offense, fire emergency or medical emergency after having completed a timely investigation of the Alarm Site. An Alarm Dispatch Request which is canceled by the Alarm Business or the Alarm User prior to the time the responding agency representatives reach the Alarm Site shall not be considered a False Alarm Dispatch. (K) Holdup Alarm means a silent Alarm Signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a robbery in progress. (L) Keypad means a device that allows control of an Alarm System by the manual entering of a coded sequence of numbers or letters. (M) Monitoring means the process by which an Alarm Business receives signals from Alarm Systems and relays an Alarm Dispatch Request to the appropriate dispatch center for the purpose of summoning a law enforcement, fire or emergency medical response to the Alarm Site. (N) One Plus Duress Alarm means the manual activation of a silent alarm signal by entering at a Keypad a code that adds one to the last digit of the normal arm/disarm code (Normal code = 1234 One Plus Duress Code = 1235). (O) Other Responsible Department Head means the department head of a civilian operated emergency dispatch center. {P) Person means an individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization or similar entity. (Q) Takeover means the transaction or process by which an Alarm User takes over control of an existing Alarm System which was previously controlled by another Alarm User.