New Kensington is on the way to becoming the latest municipality in the region to require new or newly-renovated commercial buildings to install a lock box to help first-responders gain access in emergencies.
City council laid the groundwork this week to enable it to pass an ordinance Feb. 4 that will require them, according to city Administrator Dennis Scarpiniti.
Assistant Fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said the reason for the lock box — known as a “Knox box” because it is made by the Knox Co. of Phoenix, Ariz. — is to provide firefighters and police faster access to the buildings and interior rooms housing utility controls in the event of an emergency.
The way it works is, the building or business owner labels individual keys to denote what they open, such as “front door” or “electrical controls,” and where those areas are located. Those keys are then deposited into the lock box, which Saliba locks with a master key.
When there is an alarm at the building, all he has to do is unlock the box, retrieve the keys and gain entry to the building and interior rooms.