Upper Township Knox Box Program

The Upper Township Knox box program is a joint effort between the Upper Township Chief’s Association and the Upper Township Committee. The Upper Township Chief’s Association is made up of the leaders from the Upper Township Division of EMS, the Upper Township Rescue Squad, the Marmora, Seaville, Strathmere and Tuckahoe Volunteer Fire Companies and the Upper Township Office of Emergency Management. The Upper Township Chief’s Association requested the Upper Township Committee place an Ordinance on the books to require a Knox Box be placed on all new commercial construction before a certificate of occupancy can be issued. The Knox Box is a secured key box that allows public safety personnel to enter a commercial structure after hours in the case of an activated fire alarm. In many cases the owner/occupant of the building might not be available to give firefighters access to investigate the cause of the alarm and mitigate the situation whether it is an actual fire or an accidental trip of the alarm system. This saves the building owner the potential cost of a door or lock replacement if firefighters must gain entry. If an activated fire alarm is received in a building that has a Knox Box on it, upon arrival, firefighters will use a special key to gain entry to the Knox Box. Inside the Knox Box would be a key for firefighters to gain access to the building plus owner contact information. After the incident is mitigated and the alarm secured, firefighters will secure the building, make contact with the owner and return the key to the Knox Box for the next time.

Knox boxes can be secured for existing commercial buildings as well as residential buildings if desired. All that is needed is to click on the link provided, select the Knox Box that you would like and make the purchase. The Knox Company will notify the Upper Township Chiefs Association via email. The Chiefs Association will then approve the purchase and the Knox Box will ship. When the Knox Box arrives, contact the Township and they will put you in touch with the appropriate Fire Department for mounting instructions. Once mounted, a representative of the Fire Company will open the Knox Box and have you place the keys inside and then lock it back up.

The Knox Box program is in place in thousands of municipalities across the country and is a very effective, safe program. If you have any further questions, please contact the Township Construction Office.

To purchase a Knox Box:

• Go to the website www.knoxbox.com
• Click on the RED BUY tab (top right)
• Enter your location: State & Enter your fire department:
  Upper Chiefs Assoc
  (Regardless of your fire district all will enter “Upper Chiefs Assoc”)
• This will display all of the products available for purchase.