Spokane Municipal Code

Title 10 Regulation of Activities

Chapter 10.48 False Alarms

Section 10.48.130 Duties of Alarm Installation Company and/or Monitoring Company

1. All alarm installation and/or monitoring companies shall ensure that their customer information is updated with the alarm administrator or designee at least monthly. This information shall include:

1. 1. customer name and contact information (i.e., all phone numbers);

1. 2. alarm site address and billing address;

1. 3. monitoring company name and contact information; and

1. 4. installation date or date the alarm monitoring ended.

2. All alarm installation and/or monitoring companies shall ensure that an on-site inspection of the operating systems for the alarm system shall occur at least once every three years. The records of these inspections shall be made available to the alarm administrator upon request.

3. The alarm installation company shall provide written and oral instructions to each of its alarm users in the proper use and operation of their alarm systems. Such instructions will specifically include all instructions necessary to turn the alarm system on and off and to prevent false alarms.

4. Effective January 1, 2006, and thereafter, alarm installation companies shall not program alarm systems so that they are capable of sending one-plus duress alarms.

1. 1. Monitoring companies may continue to report one-plus duress alarms received from alarm systems programmed with one-plus duress alarms prior to January 1, 2006.

1. 2. Effective January 1, 2006, and thereafter, when a takeover or conversion occurs or if an alarm user requests an alarm system inspection or modification pursuant to SMC 10.48.070, an alarm installation company must remove the one-plus duress alarm capability from such alarm systems.

5. Effective January 1, 2006, and thereafter, alarm installation companies shall not install a device to activate a holdup alarm, which is a single action, non-recessed button.

6. Effective April 1, 2006, the alarm installation companies shall, on new installations, use only alarm control panel(s) which meet SIA Control Panel Standard CP-01.

7. An alarm company shall not use automatic voice dialers which call 911 or the police department.

8. After completion of the installation of an alarm system, an alarm installation company employee shall review with the alarm user the customer false alarm prevention checklist established by department policy.

1. The monitoring company shall make an alarm dispatch request for a police officer response to a burglar alarm signal, including panic, duress and hold-up signals.

1. 1. A residential alarm user is provided one false alarm response during the first sixty days following an alarm system installation without any charge.

10. A monitoring company shall:

1. 1. report alarm activations or signals by using the telephone numbers designated by the alarm administrator;

1. 2. attempt to verify every burglar alarm signal prior to requesting a police dispatch by making at least two phone calls to the responsible party or parties.

1. 1. 1. This procedure does not apply to duress or hold-up signals;

1. 3. communicate alarm dispatch requests to the Spokane police in a manner and form determined by the alarm administrator;

1. 4. communicate cancellations to the Spokane police in a manner and form determined by the alarm administrator;

1. 5. ensure that all alarm users of alarm systems equipped with duress, hold-up or panic alarm(s) are given adequate training as to the proper use of the duress, hold-up or panic alarm(s).

1. 1. 1. Alarm system training should be provided to every alarm user and/or additional training provided in situations where the alarm user has established a high incident rate of false alarms resulting from unintentional or accidental activation;

1. 6. communicate any available information (north, south, front, back, floor, etc.) about the location on all alarm signals related to the alarm dispatch request;

1. 7. communicate type of alarm activation (silent or audible, interior or perimeter);

1. 8. provide an alarm user registration number when requesting an officer dispatch;

1. 9. after an alarm dispatch request, promptly advise the Spokane police if the monitoring company knows that the alarm user or the responder is on the way to the alarm site;

1. 10. attempt to contact the alarm user or responder within twenty-four hours via mail, fax, telephone or other electronic means when an alarm dispatch request is made; and

1. 11. effective January 1, 2006, monitoring companies must maintain for a period of at least one year from the date of the alarm dispatch request, records relating to alarm dispatch requests.

1. 1. 1. Records must include the:

1. 1. 1. 1. name, address and telephone number of the alarm user;

1. 1. 1. 2. alarm system zone(s) activated;

1. 1. 1. 3. time of alarm dispatch request; and

1. 1. 1. 4. evidence of an attempt to verify.

1. 1. 2. The alarm administrator may request copies of such records for individually named alarm users.

1. 1. 3. If the request is made within sixty days of an alarm dispatch request, the monitoring company shall furnish requested records within three business days of receiving the request.

1. 1. 4. If the records are requested between sixty days to one year after an alarm dispatch request, the monitoring company shall furnish the requested records within thirty days of receiving the request.

11. An alarm installation company and/or monitoring company that purchases alarm system accounts from another person shall notify the alarm administrator of such purchase and provide details as may be reasonably requested by the alarm administrator.

Date Passed: Monday, April 28, 2008

Effective Date: Saturday, May 31, 2008

ORD C34223 Section 7