§ 28-67. Definitions.

[The following words, terms, and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:]

Alarm administrator means a person or persons designated by the governing authority to administer, control, and review false alarm reduction efforts.

Alarm company 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.

Alarm dispatch request means notification to a law enforcement agency, EMS agency and/or fire department that an alarm, either manual or automatic has been activated at a particular alarm site.

Alarm registration means the notification by an alarm company or an alarm user to the alarm administrator that an alarm system has been installed and is in use.

Alarm site means a single fixed premise 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.

Alarm system means a device or series of devices, including, but not limited to, systems interconnected with a radio frequency method such as a cellular or private radio signal, which emit or transmit a remote or local audible, visual or electronic signal indicating an alarm condition and intended to summon law enforcement, EMS and/or fire service of the county, including local alarm system. Alarm system does not include an alarm installed on a vehicle or person unless the vehicle or personal alarm is permanently located at a site.

Alarm user means any person, firm, partnership, corporation or other entity who (which) uses or is in control of any alarm system at its alarm site.

Alarm user awareness class means a class conducted by the county for the purpose of educating alarm users about the problems created by false alarms and responsible use and operation of alarm systems.

Automatic voice dialer means any electrical, electronic, mechanical or other device capable of being programmed to send a prerecorded voice message, when activated, over a telephone line, radio or other communication system, to a law enforcement agency, EMS agency or fire department.

Cancellation or responding agency alarm dispatch cancellation is the process by which an alarm company providing the monitoring verifies with the alarm user or responsible party that a false dispatch has occurred and that there is not an existing situation at the alarm site requiring law enforcement or fire department response.

Duress alarm means a silent alarm system signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a life threatening situation or a crime in progress requiring law enforcement, EMS and/or fire department response.

EMS means emergency medical services.

False alarm means an alarm dispatch request to a law enforcement agency, EMS and/or fire department, when the responding unit finds no evidence of a criminal offense or attempted criminal offense or fire after having completed a timely investigation of the alarm site.

Hold-up alarm means silent alarm signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a robbery in progress.

Keypad means a device that allows control of an alarm system by the manual entering of a coded sequence of numbers or letters.

License means a license issued to an alarm company to sell, install, monitor, repair, or replace alarm systems by an authority having jurisdiction.

Local alarm system means any alarm system that annunciates an alarm only by an internal or external audio device.

Monitoring means the process by which an alarm company receives signals from an alarm system and relays an alarm dispatch request to the county for the purpose of summoning law enforcement, EMS and/or fire department response to the alarm site.

Panic means an audible alarm system signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a life threatening or emergency situation requiring law enforcement, EMS and/or fire department response.

Person means an individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization or similar entity.

Takeover means the transaction and/or process by which an alarm user takes over control of an existing alarm system, which was previously controlled by another alarm user.

Verify means an attempt, by the alarm company, or its representative, to contact the alarm site by telephonic or other electronic means, whether or not actual contact with a person is made, before requesting law enforcement, EMS and/or fire dispatch, in an attempt to avoid an unnecessary alarm dispatch.

Zones are subdivisions into which an alarm system is divided to indicate the general location from which an alarm system signal is transmitted.

(Ord. of 6-5-00, § 2)