8.52.025 Alarm company responsibility | Vancouver Municipal Code

8.52.025 Alarm company responsibility.

1. All alarm installation and service companies shall provide proof of their electrical contractor’ s license from the state of Washington, Department of Labor and Industries to their customer. It shall be the responsibility of the alarm owner to obtain that license number and expiration date for the alarm user registration application.

2. The alarm company shall provide the alarm registration application form to the alarm user and ensure that the alarm user understands the importance of registration of the alarm system. It is the responsibility of the alarm user to complete the alarm user registration form for that alarm site and provide it to the alarm administrator. The alarm company shall not activate the alarm system until such time as the alarm user registration number is obtained from the alarm administrator. A citation with a civil penalty in the sum of fifty dollars ($50) shall be issued to any alarm company that activates a new or upgraded alarm system without first obtaining the alarm registration number assigned for that alarm site. Any alarm system not registered at the time of upgrade, repair, service or transfer to new owner must have an alarm registration number before the system is taken off test mode. Response to the alarm site may be restricted until such time as the alarm registration is issued.

3. The alarm administrator shall have authority to issue a citation with a civil penalty in the sum of five hundred dollars ($500) to an alarm company if the alarm administrator determines that an alarm company manager, employee or agent made a false statement to the Alarm Administrator concerning the inspection of an alarm site or the performance of an alarm system.

4. The alarm servicing company shall provide information regarding termination of monitoring service for registered customers to the alarm administrator within thirty (30) days of disconnection of such alarm system.

5. Alarm companies must notify their customer(s) when an alarm dispatch is requested.

6. Alarm companies that perform monitoring services must maintain for a period of at least one (1) year following request for police dispatch to an alarm site, records relating to the dispatch. Records must include the name, address and phone number of the alarm user, the alarm system zone(s) or point(s) activated, the time of request for police dispatch, evidence that an attempt to verify was made to the alarm site prior to the alarm dispatch request and the time that cancellation was requested. The alarm administrator may request copies of such records for individually named alarm users.

7. Any alarm company doing business in the city of Vancouver must identify two people, who have the authority to speak for the alarm company, to be the contact person for such alarm company.

8. Alarm companies have the right to appeal fines or civil penalties as stated in section 6 of this ordinance.

9. The alarm administrator shall provide quarterly reports to each monitoring company with false alarm statistics for that company for the preceding quarter. The quarterly reports will include false alarms by number, and the number of false alarms per alarm company as well as a list of customers with four (4) or more responses during the prior twelve (12) months.

1. An alarm company performing monitoring services shall:

a. Not request dispatch for police response on any unverified alarm, excluding duress or holdup signals, during the first fourteen (14) days after installation of an alarm system, and use the first fourteen (14) days to train the alarm user on proper use of the alarm system. The alarm administrator may grant an alarm user’ s request for an exemption from this waiting period based upon a determination that special circumstances substantiate the need for exemption;

b. Attempt to verify every alarm signal, except a panic, duress, hold up or fire and emergency medical service activation, before requesting a police response to an alarm signal and then cancel when appropriate if the officer has not yet arrived;

c. Attempt to verify every panic, duress, hold up or fire and emergency medical service alarm activation after requesting a police response. Ensure that all users of alarm systems equipped with a panic, duress or hold up alarm are given adequate training as to their proper use;

d. Communicate alarm dispatch requests to the regional dispatch center in a manner and form determined by the alarm administrator;

e. Communicate verified cancellations of alarm dispatch requests to the regional dispatch center in a manner and form determined by the alarm administrator;

f. Communicate any available information (north, south, front, back, floor, etc.) about the location of the alarm;

g. Communicate type of alarm activation (silent or audible, interior or perimeter);

h. Provide the alarm user registration number when reporting an alarm signal to the regional dispatch center.

2. A verification process is an independent method of determining that a signal from an automatic alarm system reflects a need for immediate police assistance or investigation. The verification process shall not take more than five (5) minutes calculated from the time that the alarm signal has been accepted by the alarm system monitoring company until a decision is made whether to call for an alarm dispatch request. The means of verification may include one (1) or more of the following:

a. The establishment of voice communication with an authorized person at or near the alarm site who may indicate whether or not need for immediate police assistance or investigation exists;

b. A feature that permits the alarm user or a person authorized by the alarm user to send a special signal to the alarm system monitoring company that will cancel an alarm immediately after it has been sent and prevent the monitoring company calling for an alarm dispatch request;

c. The installation of a video system that provides the alarm system monitoring company when the signal is received with the ability to ascertain that activity is occurring which warrants immediate police assistance or investigation;

d. A confirmation that a signal reflects a need for immediate police assistance or investigation either by the alarm system user, a person at or near the alarm site, or an alternate response agency made before an alarm dispatch request; or

e. An alternate system that the chief determines has or is likely to have a high degree of reliability.

3. The alarm administrator may issue a citation with a civil penalty of one hundred ($100) dollars to any alarm monitoring company that fails to attempt verification of alarm system activation before an alarm dispatch request or fails to provide mandatory information when an alarm dispatch is requested. In addition, the alarm administrator may forfeit police response to any account monitored by the alarm monitoring company for such failures to provide information pertaining to verification of alarm system activation or information of an alarm dispatch request. Each alarm monitoring company must provide a copy of their verification policy to the alarm center.

4. The alarm administrator may issue a citation with a civil penalty of one hundred ($100) dollars to any alarm monitoring company that requests a dispatch when an alarm installing or servicing company is on the alarm site to install or service an alarm system. (Ord. M-3589, 2002)