FD1 Fire Access (KNOX) Standard.pdfF1 a
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Fire Department Emergency Access Standard
SCFD1 and Cities of Brier, Edmonds, and Mountlake Terrace
IFC 506.1 Where required. Where access to or within a structure or an area is restricted because of secured openings or
where immediate access is necessary for life-saving or Fre-fighting purposes, the fire code official is authorized to require
a key box to be installed in an approved location. The key box shall be of an approved type listed in accordance with
UL1037, and shall contain keys to gain necessary access as required by the fire code official.
The intent of this guideline is to define Snohomish County Fire District 1's Key Access
Program and to provide guidelines for its use and maintenance.
The Knox Box Program is designed to give authorized Fire Department personnel
access to keys for the protected occupancy whether vacant or occupied. This allows
Department personnel to quickly gain access to buildings during an emergency and
prevents the damage caused by forcible entry.
The Department requires a key access system for all occupancies in which there is a
fire protection system such as: sprinklers, fire alarm, special protection systems, etc., or
where access and other conditions are determined to be unduly difficult. This is based
on the rationale that rapid and efficient emergency operations will benefit the occupant
by reducing property damage.
Knox brand is the only approved key access system for Snohomish County Fire District
1 area of response, including contract cities of Brier, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace.
The Knox Box program in Snohomish County Fire District 1 includes Knox Key Boxes,
Knox Padlocks, and Knox Key Switches. In this procedure the term Knox Box may refer
to any of the three types of Knox products listed above.
Knox Box Requirements: A Knox box shall be provided at the main entrance of
buildings with interior common areas. An additional Knox box shall be provided at the
exterior entrance to sprinkler riser/fire alarm control panel (FRCP) rooms and other
locations deemed necessary for building access. Once the Knox boxes are received, it
is recommended that the contractor/owner discuss box placement approval with the Fire
Marshal, or Deputy Fire Marshal. Typically boxes are located to the right of the main
entrance door and/or Fire Alarm Control Panel/Fire Riser Room door. Boxes will be
placed 5-6' above finished grade. Building Owners should provide the following keys
depending on the requirements determined for the premises, and may include:
1. Main entrance (or Master)
2. Interior access (if no Master)
3. Fire sprinkler riser room/fire alarm control panel access
4. Electrical, mechanical, and elevator rooms
5. Fire alarm control panel/fire pull stations
6. Electronic/magnetic key cards
12425 Meridian Avenue S / Everett WA 98208 / 425-551-1200
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On multiple -storied and larger buildings, additional keys may be necessary, for instance,
providing roof hatch access or, sets of keys anticipated for multiple firefighting crews.
The building Owner/Contractor should contact the Fire Prevention Office to discuss the
required Knox box for their building/complex or situation. The Owner/Contractor will use
the online ordering system at www.knoxbox.com to order Knox boxes. A more detailed
guide for ordering is available from the Fire Prevention Office.
Snohomish County Fire District 1's required Knox boxes include the 3200 Series boxes
WITH HINGE. For facilities requiring a larger number of keys or magnetic cards etc, a
4400 Series box may be required.
GATES ACROSS FIRE DEPARTMENT ACCESS ROADS
Residential - Multi-Family/Private Community Access - Gates across public and
private fire department access roads where serving more than two dwellings must meet
the following requirements/design:
1. Must have automatic opening feature activated by Opticom compatible or other
approved receivers that override all other opening systems.
2. Must have an approved Knox key switch which will be located on the entrance
side of the gate.
3. Must have battery back-up or be designed with fail safe mode allowing the gate
to be pushed open without the use of special knowledge or equipment or default to the
open position.
4. In private communities where access is existing, any new gates must meet 100%
approval from protected property owners.
Residential â1 and 2 Family Dwelling Access - Gates that obstruct Fire Department
access roads/driveways that serve one or two dwellings and that are electrically
operated, shall meet the following requirements/design:
1. Where gates are electric, must have an approved Knox key switch which will be
conspicuously located at the entrance side of the gate. Non -electric gates may
be accessed using requirements for "Occupancies other than residential" below.
2. Where gates are electric, must have battery back-up or be designed with fail safe
mode when primary power is lost, allowing the gate to be pushed open without
the use of special knowledge or equipment or default to the open position.
3. Access gates must meet unanimous approval from protected property owners
where access is existing.
12425 Meridian Avenue S / Everett WA 98208 / 425-551-1200
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Occupancies Other Than Residential - Gates that obstruct Fire Department access
roads must meet the following requirements/design:
Electrically Operated Gates - The gate control shall be operable by an approved Knox
key switch located conspicuously at the entrance side of the gate. In the event of a
power failure, the gate shall automatically be transferred to a fail-safe mode allowing the
gate to be pushed open without the use of special knowledge or equipment or default to
the open position.
In all occupancies, where approved, manually operated gates and barriers may utilize
Knox padlocks. Approval is provided normally where conditions are such that delays in
gate opening are not deemed as a priority for access urgency.
On new construction, all Knox equipment shall be installed before a Certificate of
Occupancy is issued.
Building owners will assure that access equipment is maintained and contact Fire
District 1 where locks are re -keyed and conditions for emergency access is modified,
FIRE DEPARTMENT CONNECTION (FDC) ACCESS â
Locking caps are not required for new or existing construction, but may be used where
problems of theft and vandalism are occurring, on a case by case basis. Contact the
Fire Prevention Office for more information.
Revised 9/15
12425 Meridian Avenue S / Everett WA 98208 / 425-551-1200
www. fire district 1.org