Borough of Palmerton, PA Key Lock Boxes

The following structures shall be equipped with a key lock box at or near the main entrance or such other location required by the Fire Chief:

(1)

All newly constructed and/or newly renovated commercial or industrial structures protected by an automatic alarm system or automatic suppression system, or such structures that are secured in a manner that restricts access during an emergency;

(2)

All newly constructed and/or newly renovated multifamily residential structures that have restricted access through locked doors and have a common corridor for access to the living units;

(3)

Governmental structures and nursing-care facilities;

(4)

All newly constructed and/or newly renovated retail structures, and any structure containing retail sales, over 1,000 square feet;

(5)

Any newly constructed and/or renovated structure over 5,000 square feet.

All structures subject to this section shall have the key lock box installed and operational prior to the issuance of an occupancy permit. The property owner shall notify the Fire Chief of Palmerton Fire Department and the Borough Secretary that the lock box has been installed within 30 days of installation.

The key lock box system shall be located:

(1)

At or near the recognized public entrance or at the first locked passage to access the structure.

(2)

The lock box shall be located at a height of not less than four feet and not more than six feet above final grade.

The owner and/or operator of a structure required to have a key lock box shall, at all times, keep keys to the following in the box (as applicable):

(1)

Main entrance door.

(2)

Alarm room (if one exists).

(3)

Mechanical rooms and sprinkler control rooms.

(4)

Fire alarm control panel.

(5)

Electrical rooms.

(6)

Special keys to reset pull station or other fire protection devices.

(7)

Elevator keys, if required.

(8)

All other rooms as specified during the plan review process.

The Fire Chief shall be authorized to implement rules and regulations for the use of the lock box system.

The Palmerton Fire Department shall keep a record of the use of the access to any building through the key lock box system. This record may be kept on location at the offices of the West End Fire Company No. 2 in conjunction with the Carbon County Telecommunications Center. The records shall be kept for a period of three years.