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EAST LIVERPOOL - City council recently granted permission to the fire department to install a rapid entry system to businesses and nuisance properties.
At its Aug. 3 meeting, council unanimously granted permission to Fire Chief Antony Cumo to require certain businesses and nuisance property buildings to install Knox Box Rapid Entry Systems.
The Knox Box Rapid Entry System as described in the ordinance is a "nationally recognized program that allows fire departments to gain rapid, non-destructive access to secured buildings through a secure keyed lockbox." It also notes that the Knox Box is a secure UL-listed lockbox that is compatible with the fire department's master key system and approved by the fire chief for installation.
Cumo said the ability to have everybody get Knox Boxes is really going to help firefighters gain access into a building a lot quicker and that it takes time to force entry into a building which is something they really don't want to do.
Cumo noted that often times if the fire department is responding to an alarm and firefighters see nothing on the outside of the building they typically have to wait for a keyholder to arrive and sometimes that keyholder could be coming from an hour away in the middle of the night after having to get up and get ready. Cumo said when that happens, it really ties up the department's resources.
"So, having a Knox Box, we'll be able to access these buildings, check them out to make sure nothing is wrong," Cumo said. "It makes our crews a little bit more efficient, and it gets the city away from the liability of us breaking doors down and having to pay for it and things like that."
Cumo noted that not all buildings will be required to have one right away and that the fire department is currently focused on buildings with fire alarms and sprinkler systems, anywhere they would get a false alarm, and nuisance properties that they are constantly getting called to.
It will be up to the fire department to do inspections and make building owners aware of if they will be required to install a Knox Box.
Cumo said that building owners are not responsible right now to just get one unless they want to be proactive and just get it done. If not when the fire inspection is conducted on their building, the inspector would make the owner aware if their building, based on the ordinance, is required to have one installed.
Cumo also said abandoned buildings will be required to have a Knox Box installed for police and fire access once they get started on those once the fire marshal position is filled. He noted the abandoned building registry is resource-intensive and more than what the department can do at the present time, but once the fire marshal position gets going full-time Monday through Friday, the in-house fire marshal will handle the fire inspections and the abandoned building registry.
Cumo is hopeful to have the fire marshal position filled by next month.
The number of inspections done by the fire department have picked up a lot over the past couple of years, and Cumo noted that so far, anybody that has been asked to have a Knox Box installed has done so without giving the department any problems.
The Knox Boxes and installation are at the building owner's expense. Cumo noted that they are not cheap, but they are not "crazy expensive," and they are cheaper to install then having to replace a door.
Cumo, who believes it's best to lead by example, has been working with the city for the past six to eight months to have all the city department and city buildings install Knox Boxes.
"We approach it from a 'clean-up your own back yard before you start complaining about someone else's' thought," Cumo said. "So, we have been working with the city and trying to get fire inspections done there and focus on those and get them up to par and have them get their Knox Boxes installed regardless of alarm systems or not."
The ordinance says that the Knox Box system requirement is to improve the safety of residents, reduce property damage, and enhance effectiveness of emergency services. The need for forced entry into a building causes delayed emergency response which could endanger lives and property and result in significant property damage.
Some of the buildings which will be required to have Knox Boxes per the ordinance include multi-family residential properties, government and public buildings, frequent false alarm properties and any structure deemed by the fire chief as needing one for reliable emergency access.
Any property owner who fails to install, maintain or update a Knox Box as required by the ordinance will be subject to a written notice of violation from the fire department. Failure to be compliant after 30 days of receipt of the notice could result in a fine of not less than $50 and not more than $100 per day.
Debra Danver and Safety Service Director Bill Jones offered praise for Cumo's efforts which was echoed by the Safety/Rules Committee members, for Cumo's pursuit in higher standards for the fire and paramedic response programs which Danver said "has been exhibited by the Knox Box legislation as well as a relentless pursuit of grants to support the program and the city."