Knox Box
Encyclopedia
A Knox Box, known officially as the KNOX-BOX Rapid Entry System is a small, wall-mounted safe
that holds building keys for fire departments, Emergency Medical Services
, and sometimes police to retrieve in emergency situations. Local fire companies can hold master keys to all boxes in their response area, so that they can quickly enter a building without having to force entry or find individual keys held in deposit at the station. Sometimes Knox Boxes are linked via radio to the dispatch station, where the dispatcher
can release the keys with DTMF tones.
Knox Boxes simplify key control for local fire departments. They also cut fire losses for building owners since firefighters can enter buildings without breaking doors or windows. The disadvantage of the system is that it provides a single point of failure for security. If the key to a district's Knox Boxes is stolen or copied, a thief can enter any building that has a Knox Box. Some building managers wire Knox Boxes into their burglar alarm systems so that opening the box trips the alarm, negating their use in facilitating clandestine entry.
NOTE: There are no independent citations regarding the effectiveness or claims of this product. The only reference is the manufacturer's website.
Safe
A safe is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or damage. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal or formed out of plastic through blow molding...
that holds building keys for fire departments, Emergency Medical Services
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...
, and sometimes police to retrieve in emergency situations. Local fire companies can hold master keys to all boxes in their response area, so that they can quickly enter a building without having to force entry or find individual keys held in deposit at the station. Sometimes Knox Boxes are linked via radio to the dispatch station, where the dispatcher
Dispatcher
Dispatchers are communications personnel responsible for receiving and transmitting pure and reliable messages, tracking vehicles and equipment, and recording other important information...
can release the keys with DTMF tones.
External links
NOTE: There are no independent citations regarding the effectiveness or claims of this product. The only reference is the manufacturer's website.