[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Schodack 3-9-2006 by L.L. No. 2-2006.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire investigation unit — See Ch. 32.
Building construction — See Ch. 90.
[1]
Editor's Note: This local law was adopted as Ch. 33, but was renumbered to maintain the organizational structure of the Code.
The chapter shall be known as the "Emergency Access Systems Local Law of the Town of Schodack."
The Town of Schodack has recognized the importance of providing the Town's emergency services rapid entry into locked buildings. An Emergency Access Systems Local Law provides for the placement in secured, locked containers of keys to important areas within a structure and information that may be vital and necessary to the health, safety, and welfare of the occupants and responding emergency crews. The delay in gaining entry can result in substantial property damage, delays in providing lifesaving or other medical procedures, and increased danger for emergency services personnel and the building occupants. To assist the emergency service providers in gaining rapid entry, the Town of Schodack adopts an Emergency Access Systems Local Law.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
AUTOMATIC FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM
A system or assembly of piping, valves, controls and sprinklers which are designed and installed to comply with the National Fire Protection Association which utilize water, foam, carbon dioxide or other gas to automatically react to and suppress fire.
BUILDING DEPARTMENT
A department of the Town of Schodack located at the Schodack Town Hall.
EMERGENCY ALARM
Any device designed to alert police, fire or emergency medical personnel to an emergency condition requiring attention and to which police, fire or emergency medical service units are expected to respond. This definition shall include alarms that terminate at an answering service, as well as those that emit an audible or visible signal.
FALSE ALARM
An alarm signal from an emergency alarm or notification by an emergency alarm answering service which calls for an emergency response from the Town of Schodack Police Department, fire services or emergency medical services where an emergency situation does not in fact exist. The term "false alarm" shall not include an alarm signal caused by testing or repairing of telephone or electrical lines or equipment outside of the premises, an attempted illegal entry of which there is visible evidence, violent conditions of nature or other extraordinary circumstances not reasonably subject to control by the alarm user or alarm supplier.
KEY BOX
A high-security key vault of UL type approved by the Town of Schodack Building Department, master keyed with a Medco Biaxial Level 7 or equivalent lock. Locks shall be keyed to the key configuration provided by the Town of Schodack. Such vaults shall have weatherproof gaskets, shall have a covered lock opening and shall be highly resistant to drilling or vandalism.
KEY BOX DOCUMENT VAULT
A high-security steel plate vault, a minimum of 14 inches high by 12 inches wide by two inches deep, constructed to the same standards as the lock box, for the storage of documents.
This chapter shall be applicable to:
A. 
All buildings located within the Town of Schodack having an automatic fire alarm system or a fire sprinkler system.
B. 
Any building having three or more false alarms within a six-month period.
One- and two-family dwellings and buildings having a twenty-four-hour, seven-day-per-week guard system shall be specifically exempted from the requirements for a key box.
A. 
The key box shall be installed on the front of the building, near the main entry door and between six feet and eight feet above the ground, unless approved for another location or at a higher or lower level by the Building Department. The department must approve all installations.
B. 
Keys within the lock box shall be labeled for easy identification either by the tenant name or indexed to a floor plan of the building and shall be kept current.
C. 
The key box shall contain the following:
(1) 
Unless otherwise agreed upon with the local chief, key(s) or magnetic cards for the exterior doors, the keys or magnetic cards for all the interior doors identified in Subsection C(2) to C(5) below within the building, and a scaled floor plan of the building. Mixed occupancies and strip shopping center keys shall be provided only for the occupancies where system control valves or fire alarm system panels exist.
(2) 
Keys or magnet cards to locked mechanical equipment and sprinkler control rooms.
(3) 
Keys or magnet cards to locked electrical rooms or panels or fire alarms control panels.
(4) 
Keys or magnet cards to locked elevator rooms or controls, and elevator keys, if required.
(5) 
Keys or magnet cards to other areas as directed by the Building Department.
(6) 
Access codes to digital fire alarm keypads.
D. 
The key box document vault shall contain those items required to be stored in a key box, and, unless the local fire chief otherwise agrees, the following additional items:
(1) 
A current list of facility personnel knowledgeable about safety procedures of the materials on site, complete with the telephone numbers for each person.
(2) 
A current emergency and hazardous chemical inventory form and binder containing the material safety data sheets (MSDS) or, in the event that the volume of MSDS sheets is too great to keep practically in the document vault, the location of on-site MSDS, and those MSDS shall be readily available for use by emergency response personnel.
(3) 
A facility site plan showing the location of storage and use of hazardous materials on site, and any other building floor plan deemed necessary by the Building Department.
A. 
All existing buildings covered by this chapter shall comply within 36 months of the effective date of this chapter.
B. 
All new construction covered by this chapter, including buildings currently under construction as of the effective date, for which no certificate of occupancy has been issued, shall comply immediately.
A. 
Any person who shall fail to comply with any of the applicable provisions of this chapter or any lawful order, notice, directive, permit or certificate of the Building Department made hereunder shall be punishable by a fine of $250. Each month that a violation continues shall be deemed a separate offense.
B. 
In lieu of said fine, any person charged with violating the provisions of the chapter shall immediately install and maintain a key box or key box document vault subject to approval of the Building Department.
C. 
It shall be unlawful for any person to tamper, meddle with, deface, vandalize or interfere in any way with an emergency access system.
D. 
Except as otherwise provided by law, such a violation shall not be a crime. The penalty or punishment imposed therefor shall not be deemed for any purpose a penal or criminal penalty or punishment.
The Town of Schodack Building Department shall administer the provisions of this chapter. The Building Department and the Town of Schodack Police Department shall enforce the provisions.