By Chris Hagan
Review Staff Writer
Many people hardly notice a little, dark gray box attached to the wall of some business entrances in the area.
Actually, those boxes can make the difference between losing nothing or losing thousands of dollars.
They’re called Knox Boxes and they’re the go-to entry system for firefighters across the country. A Knox Box is essentially a safe for a building’s keys which is secured to the building and can be accessed by the fire department in the event of an emergency.
It’s the Knox Box that inspired the DDA to partner with the fire department to help educate and involve more downtown businesses into getting a Knox Box. After the DDA captured funds from the 2014 fire millage, DDA Director Suzanne Perrault wanted to put that money to use that directly involves the fire department.
‘We have approximately 100 properties within the DDA district and we did an inventory on how many properties have Knox Boxes and it was quite surprising how low that number was.? Perrault said. ‘Thirty-eight percent of properties in downtown have a Knox Box and I think the reason we have such a low compliance rate is that people just don’t know that they need one or that it’s building code requirement.?
With education material provided by the DDA and the fire department, property owners will contact the building’s tenants and explain the program and its benefits. Those property owners will then fill out an application ensuring that they’re within the DDA district and don’t already have a Knox Box.
Once businesses are informed by the DDA that they’ve been approved, the property owners will purchase a specific Knox Box. The DDA will be contributing $300 to each Knox Box purchase which covers about 95-percent of the purchase.
Fire Chief Robert Smith explained that not only is it a mandate in the International Fire Code but it has the potential to protect the owner’s property. Smith stated that when a fire breaks out, a medical emergency that requires immediate access, or suspicious circumstances arise, the fire department must investigate fully and without a Knox Box they have to resort to breaking a window or taking down a door.
‘Instead of that one-time purchase of a Knox Box they [property owners] are now faced with replacing a costly door, door jam or windows,? Smith said. ‘We had a small fire in an upstairs apartment a few years ago and because we could not get into the businesses below to cover the computers and merchandise up with tarps they suffered losses that hurt the businesses.?
Each Knox Box ordered for Orion Township is specifically keyed for Orion Township only. Smith says that every community around Orion uses the Knox Box Program and each one is unique to that area.
An obvious concern property owners have is the security of the keys the fire department uses to get into those boxes. Smith said he wants to reassure property owners that the keys are securely locked in fire vehicles where a code must be entered to release the key. Additionally, there’s a running time stamp that records who removed the key and when.
The DDA has budgeted 16 Knox Boxes for 2015 and it will be on a first come, first serve basis. At the end of 2015, the DDA will have a 54 percent compliance and in four years, with the DDA contributing funds, they will be at 100 percent.
The Knox Box brand is used by over 11,500 fire department and governmental agencies across the country. They also produce products for home owners that operate the same and are keyed to Orion Township only.
‘I have had residents purchase them because they go to Florida six months out of the year and they don’t want us to break the door in if we need to investigate the interior,? Smith said.?’This is just one example of the uses of residential Knox Boxes.?
For more information about the Knox Box program residents and business owners can contact the fire department’s inspection division at 248-391-0304 ext. 138.