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OFFICIAL

 

BOROUGH OF MUNHALL

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

 

Ordinance NO. 1486

 

AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOROUGH OF MUNHALL,

ALLEGHENY COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA ENTITLED

“FIRE PREVENTION RAPID ENTRY REQUIREMENT”

WHICH SHALL REQUIRE CERTAIN STRUCTURES TO

HAVE A LOCK BOX INSTALLED ON THE

EXTERIOR OF THE STRUCTURE TO AID THE FIRE

DEPARTMENT TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE STRUCTURE

WHEN RESPONDING TO CALLS FOR EMERGENCY

SERVICES.

 

WHEREAS, Council of the Borough of Munhall has determined that the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the Borough of Munhall are promoted and safeguarded by requiring certain structures to have a key lock box installed on the exterior of the structure to aid the Munhall Volunteer Fire Bureau to gain access to the structure when the same is not occupied or when the occupants are unable to grant ingress to the Fire Department or Police Department; and

WHEREAS, the key lock box system eliminated will reduce the need for forced entry into structures and should avoid costly and time-consuming efforts in gaining access to locked structures during an emergency.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED AND ENACTED, by the Council of the Borough of Munhall, Pennsylvania in a meeting assembled and is hereby ordained and enacted by the authority of the same as follows. 

Section 1 – PURPOSE

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.
 

Section 2 – KEY LOCKBOX SYSTEM

1.  The following structures shall be equipped with a key lock box at or near the main entrance or such other location as required the Fire Code Officer, Munhall Fire Marshall or Bureau Fire Chief

(a) Commercial or industrial structures.

(b) Multi-family-residential structures that have restricted access through locked doors but have a common corridor for access to the living units

(c) Schools, whether public or private.                                                                                       

 (d) Governmental structures and nursing care facilities unless the building is staffed or open 24 hours.

2.  A1l new construction subject to Section 2.1, shall have a key lock 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 Section 2.1 shall have twelve (12) months from enactment date of this ordinance to have a key look box installed and operational.

3.  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 Marshall or Bureau of Fire Chief as being an acceptable substitution for the Knox Box brand system.

Section 3 – INSTALLATION

1.  All Knox Boxes or its approved substitute, shall be installed to the left side of the main business door.
2.  All Knox Boxes or its approved substitute, shall be flush mounted sixty inches from the ground to the center of the entry if possible.
3.  In the event that the rapid entry box system cannot be installed at     the aforesaid location and/or height the Munhall Fire Marshall or Bureau of Fire Chief may designate in writing a different location and installation specifications.
4.  All Knox Boxes or its substitute, shall have a Tamper Switch installed in the building as an intrusion/burglar alarm.
5.  All realty and/or property with an electronic security gate shall have the Knox Box installed OUTSIDE of the gate.
6.  The Munhall Fire Marshall or the Borough Fire Chief must approve any changes in the installation.

 
 

Section 4 – MAINTENANCE

The operator of the building shall immediately notify the Borough of Munhall’s Fire Marshall or Fire Chief and provide the new keys when a lock box is changed or rekeyed. The key to such lock shall be secured in the Knox Box.

Section 5 – CONTENTS OF LOCK BOX

The contents of the look box are as follows:

1.  Keys to locked points of ingress or egress, whether on the interior or exterior of such buildings.
2.  Keys to all mechanical rooms.
3.  Keys to all locked electrical rooms.
4.  Keys to elevator and their control rooms.
5.  Keys to the Fire Alarm panels.
6.  Keys (special) to re-set pull stations or other Fire Protective devices.
7.  Keys to any other areas as requested by the Borough of Munhall’s Fire Marshall or Munhall Borough Bureau of Fire Chief.

 

Section 6 – FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

1. No fire department personnel shall carry a Knox Box Key.
2. All Knox Box access keys shall be installed in a Knox Box Sentra-Loc system installed in the Fire Apparatus.

 

Section 7 – EXCEPTIONS TO REQUIREMENT TO INSTALL A KEY LOCK

BOX SYSTEM

The following structures are exempt from the mandate to install a key lock box system:

1.   Single family structures and multi-family structures that do not meet the definition set forth in Section 1 (b).
2.  Structures that have 24 hours, 365 day on-site security personnel, or have other personnel on site.
3. 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.).
4.  Rental storage facilities where there is a single lock on the separate storage pods that are enter supplied; provided, however, the entry security gates(s) will require a Knox Box if electronically controlled, or locked with a master key issued by the landlord to all tenants.
5. Any facility not having an automatic are alarm system.

 

Section 8 – PENALTIES

1.  Any person, entity or corporation who has violated any provisions of this ordinance or who has failed to comply with any order issued by Munhall Fire Marshal or Bureau of Fire Chief or has failed to comply with any order issued pursuant to any Section thereof, shall upon conviction before the proper judicial authority, be punished by a fine of not more than Three Hundred ($300.00) Dollars. Each day a violation continues shall be considered a separate offense.
2. If any sentence, clause or section or any part of this Ordinance is for any reason found to be unconstitutional, illegal or invalid, such unconstitutionality, illegality or invalidity shall not affect or impair any of the remaining povisions, sentences, clauses or sections or parts of the same contained in this Ordinance. It is hereby declared as the intent of Council of the Borough of Munhall that this Ordinance would have been adopted has such unconstitutionality, illegality or invalidity sentence, clause or section or part thereof and not been included therein.
3. That any Ordinance or part of any Ordinance conflicting with the provisions of this Ordinance being the same are hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict.

 

  Ordained and enacted by the Borough Council on the 16th day of July, 2003.