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Somers board adopts local law requiring fire department master keys for multifamily buildings
Summary
The Town Board adopted a local law (chapter 78) requiring secured master keys for multifamily residential buildings (three or more units) to be kept in a fire-department Knox Box; the fire bureau said the measure shortens response times and reduces forced-entry damage.
The Somers Town Board on July 9 adopted a local law (chapter 78) that will require owners of multifamily residential buildings to place a secured master key in a fire-department Knox Box accessible to the Somers Fire Department.
Rob Russell, deputy chief in the town’s Bureau of Fire Prevention, told the board the change is intended to preserve life and property by allowing firefighters to gain rapid, non-destructive entry during life-threatening incidents such as gas leaks or carbon monoxide events. "Just because you knock on a door and there's no answer does not mean there isn't someone on the other side," Russell said. He described the Knox Box as a controlled-access device that logs who accessed the key and when it was returned.
Board members asked several procedural and substantive questions: how multifamily is defined (the draft sets the trigger at buildings containing three or more dwelling units), whether the rule would apply retroactively or only to new construction (officials said a 180-day compliance window for existing buildings had been proposed in an earlier code change and a similar approach was discussed), and whether fines would be imposed for noncompliance (the draft includes penalties in the range reported in the meeting record). Russell said most locks can be rekeyed without wholesale replacement and that many buildings may already be keyed for master access; the Knox Box key is a restricted blank (Medeco-style) and is controlled by the fire department.
The board opened and then closed the public hearing on the measure and a motion to adopt the local law passed by voice vote.
Why it matters: The law is meant to balance life-safety needs against resident privacy and property protection by enabling welfare checks and avoiding forced entry that damages doors and delays rescue operations.
Next steps: The law was adopted and staff will proceed with enforcement language, compliance timelines and notification to affected property owners.
