What is the Knox-Box System?
A Knox-Box provides safe, quick, and secure access to property
during an emergency.
Why Use a Knox-Box?
This
secure box is fastened to the exterior of the structure
and contains the keys to enter the building. The fire
department carries one master key that fits all of the
lock boxes in the district. Obviously, this makes entry
into the buildings much quicker to determine if a
problem exists. Time is of the essence when responding
to emergencies. During a fire alarm, firefighters need
to gain access into a structure as quickly as possible
to determine if a problem exists. When no one is on site
to let the firefighters in, entry is delayed. In the
past, fire departments would wait for a resident to
respond after conducting an external scan of the
building. If a resident was not available or delayed,
crews would forcibly enter the building at the cost of
the building owner. Rather than reaching for an axe to
break down the door, firefighters open the KNOX-BOX,
remove entrance keys, and immediately enter the
facility. Eliminating forced entry means no property
damage and no replacement costs for broken windows and
forced doorframes or locks.
An example of
how
the Knox Box System work?
During
the early morning hours your building alarm system
transmits a signal to your alarm monitoring company, who
in-turn contacts Tompkins County Fire Control. The
Dryden Fire Department is immediately dispatched to your
alarmed location. We arrive a short time later and
conduct an initial size-up of your location. Officers
on the scene determine that an entry is warranted. If a
Knox-Box system is in place a signal is transmitted to
the truck box from dispatch and it opens. The key is
used to unlock your protected location. After a brief
interior inspection is conducted and no are problems found.
Firefighters simply lock up the building when leaving
and return the entry key to the Knox-Box. Fire
department officers then radio county control that no
fire was found, and then leave the scene doing no
damage. You can see that with just one use the Knox-Box
system could pay for its self in dollars and peace of
mind. The Knox-Box system could also be utilized if
someone at your protected location has a medical
emergency and EMS is required. This system would allow
immediate access to those who may need rapid emergency
medical intervention.
Knox Box Application & Installation Guidelines:
The Dryden
Fire Department has Knox Box applications and they can be picked up at our
Station, located at 26 North Street. The best time to
pick an application up is every Wednesday
night between 18:30-21:00 hours. Once your application
is submitted, the Knox Company will usually
process your order within 7 business days. Rush
delivery is available.
Please follow these general Knox-Box Installation
guidelines; the box should be installed in a location that
is readily visible and accessible to the responding
firefighters. Boxes should be mounted about chest height
in an open space without obstructions. The box should also
be mounted nearest the main-point of entry on a solid
surface.
Questions specific to the Knox-Box design or hardware installation
should be referred directly to Knox Customer Service at
866-625-4563.
Questions regarding box installation or securing an installed box
can be referred to any chief officer. Please contact our business
office at 607-844-8124. Please leave a point-of-contact and
phone number. We will return your call as soon as possible.
For
any other questions or for additional information on the Knox-Box
system,
please go to their website @ http://www.knowbox.com
