Borough of Homestead, PA
Allegheny County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[HISTORY:[1] Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Homestead 3-11-2010 by Ord. No. 1207. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire Department — See Ch. 23.
Alarms — See Ch. 93.
Emergency services — See Ch. 141.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Chapter 143, Fire Prevention, adopted 11-11-1993 by Ord. No. 1047, was superseded 4-8-2004 by Ord. No. 1154. See now Ch. 124, Construction Codes, Uniform.
The Borough Council of the Borough of Homestead has determined that the health, welfare and safety of the citizens of the Borough of Homestead are promoted by requiring certain structures to have a key lockbox installed on the exterior of the structure to aid the Homestead Volunteer Fire Department 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 into due to being either unoccupied or having occupants who are unable to respond.
A. 
The following structures shall be equipped with a key lockbox at or near the main entrance or such other location as required by the Fire Chief:
(1) 
Commercial or industrial structures.
(2) 
Multifamily residential structures that have restricted access through locked doors but have a common corridor for access to the living unit.
(3) 
Schools, whether public or private.
(4) 
Governmental structures and nursing care facilities unless the building is staffed or open 24 hours.
B. 
All new construction subject to § 143-2A shall have a key lockbox installed and operational prior to the issuance of an occupancy permit. All structures in existence on the effective date of this chapter and subject to § 143-2A shall have 12 months from the enactment date of this chapter to have a key lockbox installed and operational.
C. 
The type of key lockboxes 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 Volunteer Fire Department Chief as being an acceptable substitution for the Knox-Box® brand system.
A. 
All Knox-Boxes® or their approved substitutes shall be installed to the left of the main business door.
B. 
All Knox-Boxes® or their approved substitutes shall be flush mounted 60 inches from the ground to the center of the entry if possible.
C. 
In the event that the rapid entry box system cannot be installed at the aforesaid location and/or height, the Volunteer Fire Department Chief may designate in writing a different location and installation specifications.
D. 
All Knox-Boxes® or their substitutes shall have a tamper switch installed in the building as an intrusion/burglar alarm.
E. 
All realty and/or property with an electronic security gate shall have the Knox-Box® installed outside of the gate.
F. 
The Volunteer Fire Department Chief must approve any changes in the installation.
The operator of the building shall immediately notify the Volunteer Fire Department Chief and provide the new keys when a lockbox is changed or rekeyed. The key to such lockbox shall be secured in the Knox-Box®.
The contents of the lockbox are as follows:
A. 
Keys to locked points of ingress or egress, whether on the interior or exterior of such buildings.
B. 
Keys to all mechanical rooms.
C. 
Keys to all locked electrical rooms.
D. 
Keys to elevators and their control rooms.
E. 
Keys to the fire alarm panels.
F. 
Keys (special) to reset pull stations or other fire protective devices.
G. 
Keys to any other areas as requested by the Borough of Homestead Volunteer Fire Department Chief.
All Knox-Box® master keys are carried in a secured environment within the fire apparatus. Firefighters will inform County Dispatch when entering the Knox-Box® to retrieve the keys and when returning the keys.
The following structures are exempt from the mandate to install a key lockbox system:
A. 
Single-family structures and multifamily structures that do not meet the definition set forth in § 143-2.
B. 
Structures that have twenty-four-hour, three-hundred-sixty-five-day on-site security personnel or have other personnel on site.
C. 
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.).
D. 
Rental storage facilities where there is single lock on the separate storage pods that are supplied; provided however, the entry security gate(s) will require a Knox-Box® if electronically controlled or locked with a master key issued by the landlord to all tenants.
E. 
Any facility not having an automatic alarm system.
A. 
Any person, entity or corporation who has violated any provisions of this chapter, or who has failed to comply with any order issued by the Homestead Volunteer Fire Department 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 $300. Each day a violation continues shall be considered a separate offense.
B. 
If any sentence, clause or section or any part of this chapter 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 provisions, sentences, clauses or sections or parts of the same contained in this chapter. It is hereby declared as the intent of the Council of the Borough of Homestead that this chapter would have been adopted as if such unconstitutional, illegal or invalid sentence, clause or section or part thereof had not been included therein.
C. 
Any ordinance or part of any ordinance conflicting with the provisions of this chapter be and the same is hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict.