[Adopted 11-13-2001 by Ord. No. 1115 (Ch. 7, Part 6, of the
1999 Code of Ordinances)]
The Council of the Borough had determined that the health, welfare
and safety of the citizens of the Borough are promoted by requiring
certain structures to have a key lock box installed on the exterior
of the structure to aid the West Mifflin Volunteer Fire Departments
in gaining access to or within a structure when responding to calls
for an emergency service and to aid access into or within a building
that is secured or is unduly difficult to gain entry due to being
either unoccupied or the occupants are unable to respond.
A.
The following structures shall be equipped with a key lock box at
or near the main entrance or such other location as required by the
Fire Code Officer:
(1)
Commercial or industrial structures.
(2)
Multifamily residential structures that have restricted access through
locked doors but have a common corridor for access to the living units.
(3)
Schools, whether public or private.
(4)
Governmental structures and nursing care facilities, unless the building
is staffed or open 24 hours.
B.
All new construction subject to Subsection A of this section shall have a key lock box installed and operational prior to the issuance of an occupancy permit. All structures in existence on the effective date of this section and subject to Subsection A of this section shall have six months from the enactment date of this article to have a key lock box installed and operational.
C.
The type of key lock boxes to be implemented within the Borough shall
be a Knox-Box® brand system or such other rapid entry system of
comparable quality which has been specifically authorized in writing
by the Fire Code Officer as being an acceptable substitution for the
Knox-Box® brand system.
A.
All Knox-Boxes®, or their approved substitute, shall be installed
to the left side of the main business doors.
B.
All Knox-Boxes®, or their approved substitute, shall be flush
mounted 60 inches from the ground to the center of the entry, if possible.
C.
In the event that the rapid entry box system cannot be installed
at the aforesaid location and/or height, the Fire Code Enforcement
Officer may designate, in writing, a different location and installation
specifications.
D.
All Knox-Boxes®, or their substitute, shall have a tamper switch
installed if the building has an intrusion/burglar alarm.
E.
All realty and/or property with an electronic security gate shall
have the Knox-Box® installed outside of the gate.
F.
The Fire Code Officer of the Borough must approve any changes in
the installation.
The operator of the building shall immediately notify the Borough's
Fire Code Official and provide the new key when a lock box is changed
or rekeyed. The key to such lock shall be secured in the Knox-Box®.
The contents of the lock box are as follows:
A.
Keys to locked points of ingress or egress, whether on the interior
or exterior of such building(s).
B.
Keys to all locked mechanical rooms.
C.
Keys to all locked electrical rooms.
D.
Keys to elevators and their control rooms.
E.
Keys to the fire alarm panels.
F.
Keys (special) to reset pull stations or other fire-protection devices.
G.
Keys to any other areas as requested by the Borough's Fire Code
Official.
The following structures are exempt from the mandate to install
a key lock box system:
A.
Single-family structures and multifamily structures that do not meet the definition set forth in § 126-22A(2) of this article.
B.
Structures that have twenty-four-hour, three-hundred-sixty-five-day
on-site security personnel or have other personnel on site.
C.
Businesses that are open and staffed 24 hours, 365 days per year
(which may include, but are not limited to, nursing homes, hospitals,
police stations, etc.).
D.
Rental storage facilities where there is a single lock on the separate
storage pods that are renter supplied; provided, however, the entry
security gate(s) will require a Knox-Box® if electronically controlled
or locked with a master key issued by the landlord to all tenants.
Any person, entity or corporation who has violated any provisions of § 126-27 of this article or who has failed to comply with any order issued by the Fire Code Officer pursuant to any section thereof shall, upon conviction before the proper judicial authority, be punished by a fine of not more than $300. Each day a violation continues shall be considered a separate offense.
