Knox Boxes

The Winnetka Village Code includes an emergency key access requirement. According to the 2015 International Fire Code (IFC) that the Village of Winnetka adopted in 2019, “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 fire-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 and shall contain keys to gain necessary access as required by the fire code official,” (IFC Chapter 5 Section 506.1).

Specifically, according to the Winnetka Village Code, “The owner of any building or structure that is not a single-family or two-family dwelling and that is protected by an automatic sprinkler system and/or and automatic fire detection system shall purchase, install and maintain an emergency key access system consisting of a locked box of a type and in a location prescribed by the Fire Chief,” (Section 8.04.010-D).

When a key box is required, we recommend a key box from the Knox Company.

Knox-Box

The Knox-Box Rapid Entry System was specifically developed for fire departments. With one master key, fire personnel gain access to commercial and residential property in case of an emergency event, such as a structural fire. More than 11,500 departments nationwide use Knox® key boxes, vaults, Haz-Mat cabinets, key switches, locking FDC caps, and padlocks. Brochures and order forms can be obtained from the Fire Department.