A topic which has generated much discussion at recent Gentry council meetings and which will likely be discussed again at length during the Dec. 6 meeting is the key box ordinance passed in April of 2006.
I’ve heard the arguments for and against and have seen the boxes. I’ve even been shown how the key that unlocks those boxes is kept in two fire trucks and how it can be accessed only with the separate pass-code entries of two different firemen.
With that information, I am convinced they are safe and a valuable tool for the safety of firefighters and for the safety and benefit of business owners and citizens, too.
But the whole issue with the boxes is not so much about a business owner’s keys being secure as it is with the 2006 ordinance requiring all business owners to install the boxes by May 1 of 2011. In a time when government is growing and seems to regulate everything, who wants the government, even if it is only the city of Gentry, telling them what they have to do.
I have always liked seat belts and wore mine religiously for years in both cars and big trucks before the law said I had to buckle up. But now that the law says I must, I so want to leave it off sometimes. After all, the government shouldn’t be able to tell me how I must protect myself inside my own car.
When I feel a bit obstinate about seat belts, I just have to remember the many accidents I worked as a sheriff’s deputy and how many people were needlessly killed because they didn’t buckle up and were thrown from their vehicles. Then my belt clicks.
To a degree, the same is true with the key boxes. They are a tool which could prevent the needless loss of lives and property. Firemen can, in the event of a fire, an alarm or medical emergency, gain quick entry without needing to first break down doors or smash windows.The result if they must enter would certainly be less damage, and the time they save might result in saving the lives of occupants or firefighters since entry becomes more and more dangerous as a fire progresses inside, even if unseen in ceilings, attics, walls or below floors.
As a staunch defender of Constitutional rights and freedoms, I can understand business owners’ objections to being told they must install a key box. I wouldn’t want to be told I had to buy one for my house either. But, on the other hand, if I am able to come up with the money, I am seriously considering installing one of the doormounted versions on myhouse - for safety and security purposes.
The council has been sympathetic to the objections raised. They’ve spent hours debating how best to handle the issue without ignoring the safety of citizens and firefighters and yet not trampling on individual freedoms. And the council has come up with a solution, I think, which should do much to provide for safety but also protect freedoms.
A recommendation is being made for a new ordinance which requires approved key boxes on new commercial construction and on commercial structures with sprinkler systems or alarm systems to provide for the safety of those who risk their lives to fight fires.But, at the same time, the fire and safety committees are recommending that no requirement be placed upon existing business structures - not even if they are remodeled.
My recommendation for existing businesses is that they take the time to look at the key boxes and the security procedures in place for access and consider voluntarily installing them for their own safety as well as for the safety of the firemen who risk their lives to protect us. The boxes could be of benefit, not only to businesses but also to private individuals - especially those with medical conditions which could require quick access.
As I said before, I wouldn’t want to be told I had to have a key box on my home. But if it's a matter of personal freedom, I’d be glad to have one on my front door for safety reasons - my family’s and the firefighters’ who could someday have to respond to an emergency at my home.
Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be reached by e-mail at rmoll @ nwaonline .com.
Community, Pages 6 on 11/24/2010