Sec. 2.5-4.  Regulations; duties; monitoring fees; unlawful acts.

(a)   The chief of police, fire chief or their designated representatives may require the inspection of any or all alarm systems installed within the city.

(b)   Local alarm systems installed within thirty (30) days after the effective date of this chapter shall not emit a sound similar to that of an emergency vehicle siren or a civil defense warning siren.

(c)   Local alarm systems shall be equipped to automatically discontinue emitting an audible sound, within fifteen (15) minutes of activation.

(d)   It shall be the responsibility of each alarm user to see that the standards of installation and maintenance set forth in this chapter are adhered to.

(e)   It shall be the responsibility of any alarm business causing installation of or maintaining an alarm system to cause such installation or maintenance to conform to the requirements of the Fire Code and the Electric Code applicable in the City of Norfolk, Nebraska.

(f)   Without the prior express consent of the alarm coordinator, alarm systems shall not be tested so as to transmit a signal to the 911 communications center when an emergency or life hazard situation does not exist.  It shall be the responsibility of each alarm user and alarm business not to make such tests.

(g)   An alarm business, alarm user, employee of a central station protective system or employee of an answering service charged with the responsibility of relaying a live voice request for a public safety response, upon the activation of an alarm system, shall give the following information to the 911 communications center at the time of such request: Address of alarmed location; type of alarm system that has been activated; name of commercial business or resident; specific location of an area within the building, structure or facility protected by the activated alarm; name of the alarm business making request if applicable; name of person making the request; and a phone number where the requesting party can be contacted. Unless specifically requested, it is the sole responsibility of the person making such request to notify authorized persons in control of such alarmed building, structure or facility that such alarm has been activated.

(h)   The alarm coordinator shall be responsible for determining which alarms constitute false alarms, as defined by section 2.5-1. A record of all false alarms shall be maintained by the alarm coordinator.

(i)   At the time of the fifth false alarm for any permit within any permit year, the alarm coordinator shall notify the alarm permit holder by certified mail of such occurrence and that additional false alarms during the permit year will require the payment of fees set forth in Section 2-5 of this Code.  Failure to receive either of these notices shall not be deemed to extend the term of conditions of the permit. 

(j)   It is unlawful for any person to activate any burglary, robbery, fire or emergency alarm for the purpose of summoning public safety assistance, except in the event of any actual or attempted burglary, robbery, fire or medical emergency, or for such person notifying the 911 communications center of an activated alarm and having knowledge that such activation was apparently caused by an electrical or other malfunction of the alarm system to fail to notify the 911 communications center of such malfunction.

(k)   It shall be unlawful to have or maintain an alarm system on any premise without providing address numbers which are clearly visible from a distance of one hundred (100) feet or more. The address numbers shall be posted to the left, right or overhead to the main entrance of the building, structure or facility and if such building, structure or facility is on a corner lot, address numbers shall face the street named in the official address, as designated by city.

(l)   The chief of police and fire chief shall establish, distribute and cause the enforcement of rules and regulations, subject to the provisions of this chapter, as from time to time they deem it necessary for the implementation of this chapter.

Source: Ord. No. 3125, § 4, 2-22-83; Ord. No. 3404, § 1, 5-19-86; Ord. No. 4546, § 1, 8-6-01; Ord No. 4687, § 1, 9-2-03; Ord. No. 5135, § 2, 9-7-10; Ord. No. 5423, § 1, 8-15-16