Seeking a keyless entry system for fire volunteers

CORNWALL — Generically, it’s known as a rapid entry system, and the Cornwall Fire Department is recommending residents and business owners consider having one installed.

The department has selected one by a company called Knox Box. It allows emergency services volunteers to quickly and easily enter homes and buildings.

Many homes in Cornwall have automatic fire alarms. As crucial as they may be in a real emergency, more often than not the alarms are false.

Fire Department President Joyce Hart said there is no particular reason or pattern for the false alarms, but she noted that they tend to occur more often when it rains. And while fire department volunteers don’t resent being dispatched to a false call, it is frustrating for them not to have access to the building.

“Once we are dispatched to an alarm call, we can’t leave without verifying everything is OK,†Hart said. “We have to get inside. We can’t just walk around the outside and know for sure. If we had to, we would break a window, or even break the door down to get inside. But we don’t want to destroy people’s property.â€

So far, the volunteers have always managed to find a non-destructive way to get inside, thanks to a hidden key, a loose window or an unlocked basement door, for example. But that takes time and every minute can be crucial in a real emergency. It is also time needlessly spent by volunteers who more than likely have left work or warm beds to respond.

While it is not a large problem at the moment, Hart said the Knox Box system seems to offer a simple, effective and relatively inexpensive solution. Some towns currently using the system are passing ordinances requiring buildings with fire alarm systems to also install a rapid entry key box.

The recommendation by the fire department went out in a recent appeal letter. It is not being considered as part of a town ordinance. It has garnered some criticism of the expense to property owners. The purchase of a key box is required. A residential-sized box that can hold one to two keys and a floor plan runs from $125 to $265, depending on the finish — black, aluminum or dark bronze — and whether it is flush mounted or recessed. Mounting kits, if needed, are at least $79 extra.

Alternatives, such as leaving a key with a neighbor, are far from foolproof, Hart said. Neighbors are not always home, or even close by, and how would fire department volunteers know who has a key?

“Some people may not even answer their door if it’s the middle of the night. We don’t want to go around the neighborhood waking people up.â€

Hart said they have received five or six letters from residents who are interested in being part of the Knox Box system.

Here is how the system works. When an automatic fire alarm is activated and a homeowner cannot be reached, Litchfield County Dispatch (LCD), which is the region’s 911 service, dispatches the fire department.

LCD puts out a special “tone†over the airwaves that opens a box on a fire truck. The box holds a master key to all key boxes in Cornwall. When the master key is put back in the box, LCD sends another tone to lock the box. The times at which the box is unlocked and relocked are documented.

The cost to the fire department is only for the initial purchase of the master key boxes and software. They have received a donation that will cover the $700 cost of a key box. It will be installed on a fire truck in West Cornwall. The goal is to be able to buy two more, with one for a first-response truck in the Cornwall Bridge Fire House.

For more information, go to knoxbox.com, or call Hart at 860-672-4959.

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