Key control systems are commonly used across the country in municipal buildings such as police stations, administrative offices, museums, libraries and more. The systems are designed to safely store keys when not in use and, when accessed, provide a data trail for auditing purposes. These features have also made key control systems the ideal solution for fire stations where safety and security are critical issues.
Fire stations, because of the nature of their service, provide ample opportunity for theft, vandalism and malicious mischief if precautions are not taken. When called to service, the fire house must immediately respond and there may not be time to check every door to ensure it is locked. Even when crews are in the building, and particularly at night, thieves have been known to enter the premises with the intent to steal valuable equipment or drugs that are part of the EMT’s inventory. Theft of employee vehicles is also a risk unless they are located in an area protected by fences and locked gates.
Another issue that can leave a fire station vulnerable to security breaches is the safekeeping of HIPAA protected forms, various EMT reports and personnel records. Unless these documents are kept under lock and key, they are subject to prying and their handling may be in violation of federal or state mandated compliance regulations.
Key control systems can provide much of the safety and security precautions needed in these instances. For example, valuable equipment can be kept in secured lockers or outside storage sheds, personnel documents can be filed in locked cabinets and doors to private or sensitive areas can be locked, with all keys securely stored in a tamper-proof key control cabinet. And when the crew is away from the station on call, the keys remain locked in place.
