For the purpose of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:

    "Alarm agent" means the business, firm, corporation or partnership designated and employed by the alarm board on behalf of the police and fire departments to maintain, service, alter, repair, replace, move or connect any burglar, hold up or fire alarm to the monitoring equipment and related paraphernalia to be maintained by the police and fire at the central answering point within the public safety central dispatch department.

    "Alarm board" means the board which performs the duties set out in this chapter. The members of such board shall be made up of the board of public works and safety. The board shall perform the following duties:

    1.    On behalf the city the board shall enter into a contractual agreement with an alarm agent;

    2.    Acquire information to determine the effectiveness of this chapter;

    3.    Contract for the acquisition, installation and maintenance of appropriate equipment and related paraphernalia to upgrade the response by the police and fire departments to alarms;

    4.    Promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement and carry out the intent of this chapter;

    5.    Perform such other activities as may be required by the fire chief or police chief to carry out, improve and implement the intent of this chapter.

    "Alarm device" means the portion of the alarm system located within or upon the premises of the alarm holder to detect entry into such premises by an unauthorized intruder and/or detect the presence of heat, smoke, fire or drop in water pressure within said premises.

    "Alarm holder" means the owner, lessee or person responsible for the existence of an alarm system within or upon his/her premises.

    "Alarm system" means an assembly of equipment and devices designed to signal or transmit a signal to monitoring equipment maintained at the central answering point indicating the presence of a hazard at the premises of the alarm holder requiring urgent attention and to which police or fire personnel are expected to respond. Such an alarm system may include burglar, hold up, robbery, fire, smoke, excess heat or explosion warning devices. Included in the alarm system are alarm devices emitting sounds, flashing lights or beacon signals to warn persons outside the premises of the existence of a hazard at the premises.

    For the purposes of this chapter, an alarm system shall not include:

    1.    An alarm installed in or on a motor vehicle;

    2.    An alarm designed and operated so that no notification is given to the fire or police departments until after the occupants, an agent of the owner or lessee, or an agent of the alarm system business has checked the alarm site and determined that the alarm was possibly or probably the result of a fire or explosion or a burglary or an attempted burglary of the kind for which the alarm system was designed to give notice. Said alarm shall be equipped to disconnect any exterior sounding alarm automatically within ten minutes of activation, except an alarm attached to a sprinkler system;

    3.    An alarm installed upon the premises occupied by a government entity of the United States of America or the state of Indiana or a municipal corporation or town; provided, however, such a definition shall not exempt a facility owned and/or operated by any school corporation and the Bartholomew county hospital.

    "Automatic dialer" means an alarm system which automatically sends over regular telephone lines (as distinguished from dedicated telephone lines) a prerecorded voice message, or coded signal, indicating the existence of a hazard at the premises of the alarm holder.

    "Burglar alarm" means an alarm device activated automatically signaling the entry or attempted entry of an unauthorized intruder in or upon the premises of an alarm holder, of which such activation is to signal a robbery, an attempted robbery, a hold up, an attempted hold up, a burglary or an attempted burglary at such premises.

    "Central answering point" means an office maintained by the police and fire departments to which burglar alarms and fire alarms are connected and where police and fire personnel supervise or monitor alarm signals through the use of monitoring equipment.

    "City" means any and all departments of the city, its officers, employees, agents and servants including elected officials and appointed officials.

    "Dedicated telephone line" means a telephone line which has as its sole use the transmission of an alarm signal from an alarm device to monitoring equipment.

    "Direct connection" means the method of using a telephone line, or other transmission line which has as its sole use the transmission of a burglar alarm signal or a fire alarm signal from an alarm device to the monitoring equipment maintained at the central answering point.

    "False alarm" means an alarm eliciting a police or fire response when the situation does not warrant such a response. This does not include alarms triggered by severe weather and/or atmospheric conditions or outside transmission lines.

    "Fees" means moneys paid by an alarm holder to allow the alarm device to be connected to the central answering point.

    "Fire" means the city fire department.

    "Local alarm" means alarm equipment which when activated causes an audible and/or visual signal in or on the premises. Such type of alarm equipment may or may not be a part of the alarm system.

    "Monitoring equipment" means an assembly of equipment and devices maintained at the central answering point which is part of the alarm system which registers the activation of an alarm device in response to which fire and police personnel are expected to respond.

    "Police" means the city police department.

    "Service charge" means an assessment by the police or fire department against an alarm holder.

    "Trouble indication" means a transmitted signal, different from a fire or burglar alarm signal, which indicates a mechanical or electrical problem within the alarm system. (Ord. 89-59 § 1, 1989)