Council of the Borough of Munhall determined that the health, welfare and safety of the citizens of the Borough of Munhall are promoted by requiring certain structures to have a key lock box installed on the exterior of the structure to aid the Munhall Volunteer Fire Bureau 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.
[Adopted 7-16-2003 by Ord. No. 1486]
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, Munhall Fire Marshal or Bureau Fire Chief:
(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 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 article and subject to Subsection A shall have 12 months from 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 Marshal or Bureau Fire Chief as being an acceptable substitution for the Knox-Box® brand system.
A.
All Knox-Boxes®, or its approved substitute, shall be installed to the left side of the main business door.
B.
All Knox-Boxes®, or its 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 Munhall Fire Marshal or Bureau Fire Chief may designate, in writing, a different location and installation specifications.
D.
All Knox-Boxes®, or its substitute, shall have a tamper switch installed in the building which 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 Munhall Fire Marshal or the Borough Fire Chief must approve any changes in the installation.
The operator of the building shall immediately notify the Borough of Munhall's Fire Marshal or Fire Chief and provide the new keys when a lock box is changed or re-keyed. 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 buildings.
B.
Keys to all mechanical rooms.
C.
Keys to all locked electrical rooms.
D.
Keys to elevator and their control rooms.
E.
Keys to fire alarm panels.
F.
Keys (special) to reset pull stations or other fire protective devices.
G.
Keys to any other areas as requested by the Borough of Munhall's Fire Marshal or Munhall Borough Fire Chief.
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 § 214-2A(2).
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.
E.
Any facility not having an automatic fire alarm system.
Any person, entity or corporation who violates any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine as provided in Chapter 1, Article II, General Penalty, of the Code of the Borough of Munhall, plus costs, and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30 days. Each day that a violation of this article continues or each section of this article which shall be found to have been violated shall constitute a separate offense.