Watsonville Municipal Code Art. 6 Fire Alarm Systems

* Sections 4-3.601 through 4-3.607, as added by Ordinance No. 253 C-M, effective May 27, 1971, as amended by Ordinance No. 384 C-M, effective July 9, 1976, repealed by Ordinance No. 588-83 C-M, effective March 24, 1983.

This article is enacted for the purpose of preserving the public health, safety, and welfare by providing a measure of administrative control over fire alarm systems and fire alarm businesses as defined in Section 4-3.602 of this article.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff. March 24, 1983)

For the purposes of this article, unless otherwise apparent from the context, certain words and phrases used in this article are defined as follows:

(a) “Alarm business” shall mean any business operated by a person, firm, or corporation which engages in the activity of alerting, installing, leasing, maintaining, repairing, replacing, selling, or servicing alarm systems.

(b) “Approved” shall mean accepted by the Fire Chief and in accordance with the requirements of the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., the Factory Mutual Engineering Corporation, the National Bureau of Standards, the National Fire Protection Association, or the State Fire Marshal.

(c) “Audible alarm” shall mean an alarm system which, when actuated, generates an audible sound on the premises.

(d) “False alarm” shall mean an alarm signal, either silent or audible, prompting a response to be made by the Fire Department when an emergency situation for which the alarm system was intended does not exist.

(e) “Fire alarm system” shall mean any manual or automatic means of detecting fires, supervising the actuation of fire suppression systems, sounding alarms of fire, and transmitting alarms of fire from private premises and shall include all types of interior fire alarm systems and auxiliary fire alarm systems approved by the City.

(f) “Fire Chief” shall mean the Fire Chief of the City or his authorized representative.

(g) “Local fire alarm system” shall mean any fire alarm system designed solely to provide an alarm of fire within the protected premises.

(h) “Subscriber” shall mean a person who owns or leases property or premises on which an alarm system has been installed or is proposed to be installed or who contracts or proposes to contract with an alarm business for the leasing, servicing, or maintaining of an alarm system, and who has or will have authority to cause the alarm system to be serviced, repaired, and removed after the system is installed.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff. March 24, 1983)

All fire alarm systems installed or maintained in the City shall be installed and maintained in accordance with the requirements of this article.

(a) All devices and equipment shall be constructed, installed, and maintained in conformity with National Fire Protection Association Standard No. 71, Central Station Signaling Systems.

(b) A permit shall be obtained from the Fire Chief for the installation of any required or permitted fire alarm system. Complete plans for such installation, including, but not limited to, the specifications, wiring diagrams, and floor plans, shall be submitted to the Fire Chief and shall be approved prior to the installation of such system. The Fire Chief shall not issue any permit for work to be done until the applicant has obtained a fire alarm business permit.

(c) All fire alarm systems shall be supervised in a manner acceptable to the Fire Chief.

(d) Upon the recommendation of the Fire Chief, the Council may adopt by resolution such additional rules and regulations relating to the installation, maintenance, and use of fire alarm systems as are consistent with good practices.

(e) Every required fire alarm system shall be maintained in good working order and shall be repaired and/or restored to such within twenty-four (24) hours after activation or failure.

(f) A schedule of fees to be charged for the issuance of permits, the installation of fire alarm systems, and penalties for false alarms from such fire alarm systems shall be established from time to time by resolution of the Council.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff. March 24, 1983)

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person who owns or operates an alarm business to conduct, cause, or permit to be conducted a fire alarm business within the City without a valid fire alarm business permit issued for the conduct of such business by the Fire Chief pursuant to the provisions of this article. Such permit shall be in addition to any license or other permit which such person must acquire under State or local laws.

(b) Any person or firm who installs or maintains fire alarm systems shall have a current license issued by the Contractor’s State Licensing Board, Department of Consumer Affairs.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff. March 24, 1983)

An application for a fire alarm business permit or for the renewal of such permit shall be filed with the Fire Chief, shall be in writing on forms provided by the City, shall be in duplicate, and shall be accompanied by the appropriate permit fee. The application and renewal fees for fire alarm business permits may be set by resolution of the Council. Such fees shall be established to cover the actual cost of issuing such permit and shall not be refundable. Such applications shall be verified as provided by the Code of Civil Procedure of the State for the verification of pleadings.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff. March 24, 1983)

Whenever any change occurs relating to the written information required by this article, the applicant or permittee shall give notification of such change to the Fire Chief within twenty (20) days after such change.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff, March 24, 1983)

Fire alarm business permits shall expire on June 30 of each year. Such permits may be renewed for additional periods of one year upon the approval of the Fire Chief. The fee amount collected for such permits shall be prorated on a monthly basis for permits issued throughout the year.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff. March 24, 1983)

If the Fire Chief finds that the permittee has violated any regulation or condition set forth in this article, the Fire Chief shall serve a notice of intended suspension of the permit issued to the permittee. Such notice of intended suspension shall identify each violation in detail sufficient to apprise the permittee of how to correct and cure the violation. Such notice of intended suspension shall be either personally served upon the permittee or shall be served by posting the notice upon the entrance to the subject premises, together with mailing a notice, postage prepaid, to the business address of the permittee as provided on the permit application. The permittee shall have ten (10) days after the date of service within which to correct and cure the violation. Upon the correction and cure of all violations within such ten (10) day period, the Fire Chief shall issue a release of suspension. If all violations are not corrected and cured within such ten (10) day period, the Fire Chief shall issue an order of suspension with service thereof upon the permittee in the same manner as the notice of intended suspension. Immediately upon the receipt of the service of an order of suspension, the permittee shall cease all operations under the permit or may file an appeal from the order of suspension.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff. March 24, 1983)

The suspension of a fire alarm business permit shall become a revocation unless the permittee files an appeal of the order of suspension as provided in Chapter 4 of Title 1 of this Code. Where an appeal is filed, the order shall be stayed pending a determination thereon by the Council. The suspension shall become a revocation if the suspension of the Fire Chief is upheld.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff. March 24, 1983)

Any person aggrieved by a decision of the Fire Chief with reference to the approval or denial of an application for an alarm business permit, or the renewal of such permit, or the suspension of such permit may appeal such decision as provided in Chapter 4 of Title 1 of this Code.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff. March 24, 1983)

(a) Upon demand, each permittee shall provide the Fire Chief with the address of each building, place, or premises within the City for which the permittee sells or installs a fire alarm system.

(b) Each permittee who installs or services a fire alarm system shall clearly instruct the subscriber in person and in writing in the proper use and operation of the fire alarm system, especially in those factors which can cause false alarms. A copy of such written instructions shall be submitted to the Fire Department.

(c) A permittee at all times shall maintain its equipment in a good state of repair at no cost to the City.

(d) Any person, firm, or corporation providing service under the authority of this article shall provide repair service to its subscribers within twenty-four (24) hours after notification that there is trouble with the fire alarm system or the system has malfunctioned.

(e) Each permittee shall display to the Fire Chief, upon request, the permittee’s records of the inspections and repairs of any fire alarm system.

(f) Each permittee shall notify, in person, the Communications Center whenever a subscriber’s fire alarm system is under service or repair.

(g) A schedule of fees to be charged for the installation of fire alarm systems and the penalties for false alarms from such alarm systems shall be established from time to time by resolution of the Council.

(h) The Fire Chief shall have the right to revoke any permission granted to any permittee pursuant to this article without prior notice should such person fail to properly maintain any part of his fire alarm system.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff. March 24, 1983)

Any fire alarm system installed, operated, or maintained in violation of any of the provisions of this article is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and may be abated in accordance with the provisions of this Code or of State laws authorizing the abatement of public nuisances.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff. March 24, 1983)

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or maintain any fire alarm system within the City on or after July 22, 1983, unless the fire alarm system is properly registered pursuant to this article.

(b) It shall be unlawful for any person to use or cause to be used any telephone service, device, or attachment which automatically selects any public trunk line of the City and then reproduces any pre-recorded message to report a fire or any other emergency.

(c) It shall be unlawful for any person to connect any fire alarm system to any building or facility owned by the City by telegraph, telephone, radio, or by any other means, except as permitted by the City in accordance with this article.

(d) It shall be unlawful for any person to install, operate, or maintain any fire alarm system in violation of any of the standards and regulations provided for such system as set forth by resolution of the Council.

(§ 2, Ord. 588-83 C-M, eff. March 24, 1983)