Knox Box policies

[Cmalla1]

Having recently endorsed businesses to purchase the Knox Box...we are in need of some help. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, and spending many hours on something I am sure FDs already thought of...

What policies, SOGs, SOPs, etc. are employed in your communities to determine what goes into your Knox Box (keys for EVERY door?, floor plans?) and how do you mark them (i.e.keys), where the Knox Boxes go, how many for the size of building, etc???

If you could email me any information your fire department (especially SOGs/SOPs) already has in regarding Knox Boxes, it would be greatly appreciated.

Battalion Chief
Pennsville Fire & Rescue Co.1
[email protected]

[shoopy]

While my Department has no SOP/SOG's on Knox Boxes so I cannot help you there but here is what we do.
First it must be the business who purchases the knox box and installs it. What we do recommend is that they designate an enterance they would like us to use or have every door keyed the same so that there is not 20 keys to search for. On businesses the have a lot of entry points we ask that they label each key with a door number of place a number system into use. If they choose to do that then we make a list of what keys are in the box a place that list into a folder of all businesses with a Knox Box and when responding to that place after hours we just notify dispatch that we have gained entry by the knox Box but have them notify a key holder anyway.
In the book which contains our master list we also place in there a diagram of the building and any pre-plan information that would be helpful for that place.
Hope that helps you some.

[MetalMedic]

We have the Knox system in my city.. and I have also initialized using Knox boxes on the University campus I work at. The Knox Company seems to have their act together, so I would not be surprised if they had sample policies available that you could just add your department name to and put them in use. If they don't have them, they should be able to put you in touch with departments simular to yours in order to get a copy of their policies.

[Dalmatian90]

In my town, we ask that their be a "master key" for all doors in the box. Usually if it's new construction or major renovation, master keying all locks isn't difficult sine they're all new.

At an R&D center I used to work at, there was actually a small "office" inside the entrance which had the Knox.

In addition to the Fire Annuciator panels, there was also the Combustible Gas Detector panels (we dealt with processes that mixed Methane and Hydrogen, among others...), a 4 drawer filing cabinet with a complete set of MSDS for the facility, floor plans, etc -- and even a multi-line phone. Made for a nice central location for the FD to start figuring out things from!

[nomad1085]

We have the sentra-lok boxes in the truck that dispatcher can tone open to release the knox key. The only places that use the Knox Boxes are the 2 school so far since we are just begining to impliment them. We would love everyone with an automatic alarm to have one, but that is a long way away. With the schools, there is a master key that will get in all the doors, as well as floor plans and the alarm panel key. Ideally, we would like one at every buisness, and at the gated enternces to the water company trails.