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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrd 4241 09/18/1990 ORDINANCE NO. 4241 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ARTICLE XIV OF CHAPTER 21 (BUILDING CODE) OF THE VILLAGE CODE OF MOUNT PROSPECT PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES the 18th day of September , 1990 Published in pamphlet form by authority of the corporate authorities of the Village of Mount Prospect, Illinois, the 20th day of September , 1990. BH/CAF ORDINANCE NO. 4241 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ARTICLE XIV OF CHAPTER 21 fBUILDING CODE% OF THE VILLAGE CODE OF MOUNT PROSPECT WHEREAS, false alarms requiring the response of emergency Fire Department personnel and equipment are an ever present concern to the entire community; and WHEREAS, emergency equipment responding to a false alarm can cause equipment to be taken out of service when there may a legitimate need for an actual emergency elsewhere, placing the lives and property of both the residents and Fire Department at risk; and WHEREAS, it is the desire of the village of Mount Prospect to discourage false alarms by establishing a penalty for repeat offenders. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE PRESIDENT A}{D BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF MOUNT PROSPECT, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS: SECTION ONE: That Article XIV entitled "Fire Prevention" of Chapter 21 (Building Code) of the Village Code of Mount Prospect, as amended, is hereby further amended by inserting a new Section 21.1404 and a new Section 21.1405 and renumbering the existing text accordingly; so that hereinafter the newly inserted Section 21.1404 and 21.1405 shall be and read as follows: " Sec. 21.1404. Deaotivation of Fire Suppression/Fire Alarm Systems. It shall be unlawful for any property owner or occupant of the property to disconnect, deactivate, and/or remove any automatic sprinkler or other fire suppression system or remove any fire alarm system from service without first having given written notification and received written approval of the Fire Chief or his designated representative. In the event it is determined by a duly designated representative of the Fire Chief, in face to face situation, that the system deactivation or removal from service is necessary, a written confirmation shall be submitted by the property owner or occupant to the Fire Chief within 24 hours of such deactivation or removal from service. Any person, firm, or corporation found to wilfully cause the deactivation of a fire suppression or fire alarm system without the approval of the Fire Chief or his designated representative shall be fine Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for each offense and each day that such violation continues shall be considered a separate offense. Sec. 21.1405. Penalty for Response to False Alarms. A. False alarms shall be defined as set forth in Section 23.1701 of this Village Code. B. If the Mount Prospect Fire Department responds to more than five (5) false alarms or system malfunctions within a calendar year to the same premises, the property owner or occupant shall pay the Village the following amounts within thirty (30) days after the response for which the charge is made: 6th false response: $100.00 7th false response: $~00.00 8th false response: $300.00 9th false response: , $400.00 10th or subsequent ~ false response: $500.00 per response Chapter 21 Fire Prevention Page 2 of 3 C. Within five (5) working days after the Mount Prospect Fire Department responds to a false alarm, the Fire Department shall cause written notification to be given to the property owner, occupant that a false alarm has been charged to the property. In the event that this incident is in excess of the permitted five (5) false alarms within a calendar year, the property owner shall be billed the appropriate amount, as set forth in paragraph B of this Section. D. Within fifteen (15) days after the alarm, the property owner or occupant may file with the Fire Chief a written request to reconsider whether such alarm was avoidable. Such request shall include all facts upon which the property owner or occupant bases his opinion. E. Within ten (10) days after receipt of a written request for reconsideration, the Fire Chief or his designated representative shall determine whether or not the alarm shall be classified as a false alarm and then notify in writing the property owner or occupant of his decision. If it is the determination of the Fire Chief that the alarm shall be classified as a false alarm, the Fire Chief shall notify the property owner, in writing, of his decision and the appropriate charge, as set forth in paragraph B of this Section, shall be paid in full within thirty (30) days following such notification. SECTION TWO: That Section 21.1410 entitled "Definitions" of Chapter 21 of the Village Code, as amended, be and the same is hereby further amended in its entirety and substituting therefor the following; so that hereinafter said Section 21.1410 shall be and read as follows: " Sec. 21.1410. Definitions. For the purpose of this Article, the following words and terms shall have the following meaning: ALARM SYSTEM: Any device installed for the purpose of alerting others to a fire emergency. AUTOMATIC A telephone device or telephone attachment TELEPHONE which automatically relays a prerecorded ALARM: message to repOrt a fire emergency by means of a telephone line which terminates upon a central switchboard. FALSE ALARM: An alarm system activated by any one or more of the following causes: A. Mechanical failure; B. Malfunction Of the alarm system; C. Improper installation or maintenance of the alarm system; D. Wilful or negligent act of a person; hapter 21 Fire Prevention Page 3 of 3 Eo Any other cause not related to a fire emergency; provided, however, that any alarm activated bynatural causes including, but not limited to, tornadoes and sever windstorms, or by malicious acts of persons not under the direction or control of the property owner or occupant shall not be considered a false alarm. " MUNICIPALITY: Whenever the work "municipality" is used in this Article, it shall be construed to refer to the Village of Mount Prospect. SECTION THREE: That Section 21.1411 entitled "Penalties" of Chapter 21 of the Village Code of Mount Prospect, as amended, is hereby further amended in its entirety and substituting therefor the following; so that hereinafter said Section 21.1411 shall be and read as follows: " Se~. 21.1411. Penalties. Unless specified elsewhere in this Article, the penalty for violating the provisions of this Article shall be not less than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each offense, as set forth in Section F-105-1 of the BOCA Basic Fire Prevention Code/1984. " SECTION FOUR: That Article XIV entitled "Fire Prevention" of Chapter 21 (Building Code) of the Village Code of Mount Prospect, as amended, be and the same is hereby further amended by reassigning the responsibility of this Article from the Bureau of Code Enforcement to theFire Prevention Bureau; so that hereinafter anywhere the reference to "Bureau of Code Enforcement" or "Director of Code Enforcement" is hereby replacedby "Fire Prevention Bureau" or "Director of Fire Prevention", whichever is applicable. SECTION FIVE: That this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage, approval and publication in the manner provided by law. AYES: Arthur, Busse, Floros, Van Geem, Wattenberg NAYS: None ABSENT: Corcoran PASSED and APPROVED this 18th day of September , 1990. Village President Vel~a W. Lowe Deputy Village Clerk