This past Monday, the Phoenix Fire Department said that it can’t account for a startling number of its keys. Hundreds of different keys that unlock key lock boxes have gone missing. Though the keys aren’t used to access buildings directly, they’re still very, very important, since they unlock security units that securely house dozens more keys, which actually do unlock doors. Essentially, the keys for other, more important keys, have gone missing.
“Our accountability isn’t the best,” said David Carter, the Deputy Chief. He blamed the absence of the 850 keys on the department’s poor record keeping. Over the span of 15 years, the key box keys have been replaced after getting damaged, and have also changed hands after some firemen retired. The department failed to keep accurate records of the replacements and swaps. With such atrocious bookkeeping, it was only natural that the keys would disappear like dust in the wind.
Instead of having a proper key box for the key box keys, as logic might dictate, the fire department would instead keep the precious keys in fire engines or other vehicles so that they won’t have to break into sites like apartments, offices, or stores if a fire was started when the buildings were closed. The poor organization and storage practices are also probably part of the problem.
The Phoenix Fire Department is going to have to replace the locks of some 9,000 key boxes. According to Shelly Jamison, a spokesperson for the fire department, they’ve put $50,000 aside to pay for the work, and Phoenix-based key box company Knox Co. would pay for any extra costs that might be incurred.
After hearing about a criminal case from 2013 in Seattle where a man was accused of burglarizing apartment complexes after breaking into key boxes similar to the ones in Phoenix, the Phoenix Fire Department decided to take stock its key, which is when it noticed that 850 keys were missing.
Deputy Chief Carter also claimed, though, that there hasn’t been any indication of the missing key box keys ever being used for criminal intent. Find out more at this site.
