Emergency Access Standard 4-2017OF EDP
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Fire Prevention Series
Emergency Access Standard
Emergency Access Standard:
The intent of this guideline is to define Snohomish County Fire District 1's Emergency
Access Standard and to provide guidelines for its use and maintenance.
The Emergency Access Standard 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 products are 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 Emergency Access Standard within 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.
Emergency Access 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 (FACP) 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/manual pull stations
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6. Electronic/magnetic key cards
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 — 1 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.
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3. Access gates must meet unanimous approval from protected property owners
where access is existing.
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 —
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.
Edition: April 2017
12425 Meridian Avenue S / Everett WA 98208 / 425-551-1200
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