HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrd2001-002CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA
ORDINANCE 2001-002
A. No person shall cause, permit, make, or give a false alarm that a fire or other
incident dangerous to life or property, that would require emergency response, has
occurred or is about to occur.
B. A false alarm for a building alarm system shall be defined as an alarm generated
when no fire or emergency exists; it includes system malfunctions, faulty operation of
detectors, and intentional activations of an alarm system (malicious mischief). It does not
include incidents where the alarm system operated as designed but was activated accidently
or with good intent.
C. The owner of a building that contains a building alarm system shall pay to the city a
charge for each false alarm responded to by the fire department. The amount of the charge
shall be set in a schedule adopted by council resolution. The payment shall be due within
thirty (30) days of the billing date by the city, as printed on the invoice. The bill shall be
considered late when the building owner fails to make payment within thirty (30) days of
the invoice date. Failure to make timely payment will subject the building owner to a late
payment charge set by resolution. Interest at a rate set by resolution shall also accrue on
the account beginning thirty (30) days from the date of the invoice until paid in full. If the
building owner fails to pay the charges in the manner provided by {he city, the city may
seek payment by any lawful means.
D. The fire chief or his/her designee, may delay the imposition of the false alarm charge
by an agreement in writing if the owner of the building is working diligently with the fire
department to correct the cause of the problem with the system and such corrective action
is diligently pursued until the problem is corrected. Reasons supporting such a delay may
include the unavailability of a licensed technician or waiting on parts for repair. The chief
must submit to the city manager the reasons for granting the delay, the written agreement,
and the time frame it will be in effect. The city may reinstate the charges if the building
owner fails to complete the correction within the time frame established by the written
agreement.
E. The charge imposed by this section shall not apply to buildings occupied by a local,
state, or federal governmental entity if (1) the governmental entity provides on-site building
maintenance, management, or security personnel, twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7)
days a week, who have the ability and authority to confirm a false alarm, and (2) the
governmental entity provides the City an on-site, twenty-four (24) hour a day, telephone
contact number that is immediately answered by such personnel.