[Adopted by Ord. No. O-96-22 (§ 12-13
of the Revised General Ordinances)]
The governing body of the Township of Freehold
finds that in order to better protect the property and welfare of
certain businesses, business patrons and fire company members, a uniform
system for rapid entry into certain buildings in the event of a report
of a fire emergency is required.
The following words, as used in this article,
shall have the meanings set forth below unless the context in which
it is used clearly requires a different meaning:
Any of the structures or buildings described in § 162-24 below.
A residential building containing three or more dwelling
units.
A locking vault-like container permanently mounted into the
affected structure or building and accessible from outside of such
structure or building.
The following structures or buildings shall
be required to have installed a rapid entry box system:
A.
Any industrial or warehouse building or structure;
B.
Hotels, motels or multiple dwellings which have locked
main entrances at any time during the day or night or which have locked
boiler rooms, electrical rooms, basements, sprinkler control rooms
or elevator control rooms.
C.
All educational and day-care buildings or structures.
D.
All mercantile buildings and structures including
shopping centers.
E.
All office buildings and structures.
F.
All buildings and structures of public assembly, including
houses of worship, restaurants and movie theaters.
[Amended 9-25-2007 by Ord. No. O-07-25]
Each affected building or structure shall cause an appropriate rapid entry box to be permanently mounted into the structure or building and accessible from outside the structure or building. Each rapid entry box shall be of sufficient size and configuration to allow the required contents as set forth in § 162-28 below to be conveniently stored therein. In order to assure acceptability of the rapid entry box chosen, each owner, tenant, or other responsible party of each affected structure or building shall receive approval from the Freehold Township Fire Official as to the size and configuration of the proposed rapid entry box.
The location on the outside of the building
or structure at which the rapid entry box is to be located must be,
as nearly as possible, uniform among similar type structures in order
to promote quick accessibility upon arrival of fire personnel at the
scene of an emergency. Given differing structural characteristics
of different types of structures and buildings, the location of the
rapid entry box on the exterior of each building or structure shall
be submitted to and approved by the Township Fire Official.
The rapid entry box for each building or structure
shall contain a separately and clearly labeled key for each locked
area within the building or structure (for example, boiler rooms,
electrical rooms, sprinkler control rooms, elevator control rooms,
etc.), the building plan of any structure or building in excess of
30,000 square feet, sprinkler keys, elevator keys, and information
concerning any hazardous materials contained within the building or
structure, and a clear indication as to the part of the building or
structure within which such hazardous materials are contained.
Compliance with the provisions of this article
must be achieved on or before January 1, 1998.
[Amended 5-24-2022 by Ord. No. O-22-8]
As used herein, "master key" shall mean the
instrument used to gain access to the various rapid entry system boxes
to be utilized as a result of the provisions of this article. The
Fire Department shall establish a system of security and procedure
to limit access to any master key(s) to authorized personnel in times
of emergency. The Fire Department shall, to the extent feasible and
practical, use the latest technological advances available to preserve
and enhance the security of the master key(s) under the direction
of the Fire Official.
