§ 258-3. Key building owner responsibilities.

A. 

Display of building numbers.

(1) 

Each and every building owner in Groton is responsible to ensure at all times, day and night, and in all seasonal conditions that the Town-assigned building number is displayed in a fashion and at locations which facilitate rapid and accurate response by Groton emergency service agencies as well as responders from surrounding mutual aid communities. These regulations provide the framework for naming of streets along with the assignment and display of building numbers. Extensive as they are, these regulations can neither identify nor define every building numbering situation that may arise. To come up with a building number display solution for a particular location, building owners must work within the spirit and intent of these regulations, apply common sense, and collaborate with both the Fire Chief and Building Commissioner to ensure the best solution.

(2) 

With regard to the display of building numbers, the building owner's on-going highest priority must be to display and maintain the assigned building number in such a manner that it is easy, simple and fast for emergency service agencies to accurately find the building when responding to a request for emergency services. Mundane as the topic may be, it is important to remember that at some point the proper display of building numbers may make the difference between life and death.

B. 

Enhanced 9-1-1 service.

(1) 

In 1990, Massachusetts enacted legislation for Enhanced 9-1-1 on a statewide basis in the commonwealth. This legislation established the Statewide Emergency Telecommunications Board (SETB) as the state agency responsible for coordinating and administering the implementation of Enhanced 9-1-1 and for promulgating standards to ensure a consistent statewide approach for Enhanced 9-1-1.

(2) 

The Enhanced 9-1-1 system automatically displays the address and telephone number of the emergency caller on a screen at all 9-1-1 communications centers in Massachusetts, commonly referred to as "public safety answering points" (PSAPs). There are approximately 270 PSAPs in the commonwealth, some of which are regionally based to answer calls for multiple communities.

(3) 

In the first half of 2009, the State 911 Department adopted regulations governing Enhanced 9-1-1 service for multiline telephone systems. The regulations require that, beginning July 1, 2009, any new or substantially renovated multiline telephone system (often referred to as PBX, Centrex®, or key set systems) shall provide the same level of Enhanced 9-1-1 service that is provided to single-line subscribers in Massachusetts. The regulations require that the operator of a multiline telephone system provide a sufficiently precise indication of a caller's location so that emergency response services may be dispatched to the specific location of the caller to further shorten response times and help save lives and property. Additional information is available on the State 911 Department website at www.mass.gov/e911, 560 CMR 4, Regulations Governing Enhanced 9-1-1 Service for Multi-Line Telephone Systems.

(4) 

It is the responsibility of every building owner in Groton, consistent with Massachusetts laws and regulations, to ensure that any and all wire-line telephone service on their premises terminates at the correct public safety answering point when 9-1-1 is dialed.