HANCEVILLE — Starting this year, new businesses in Hanceville will be required to keep an emergency key locked away near their entrance, enabling local responders to get access to the building in case there’s a fire.

At its recent regular meeting, the Hanceville City Council approved an ordinance adopting the use of an emergency key box — commonly known as a “Knox box” after the company that supplies it — for each new city business that equips a sprinkler system. The ordinance also applies to existing businesses, though mayor Kenneth Nail noted that only a small handful; those that already have sprinklers, will be affected by the new code.

“It’s basically for new construction or for those that have sprinkler systems already,” he said. “A lot of times, the sprinklers can do more damage than the fire if they’re not overridden. Either way, you want the fire department to be able to get in there pretty quickly.”

The boxes containing each business’ key will be secured near the entrance to each location where they’re used, with the Hanceville Fire Department holding a master key that allows access. “It can also prevent the fire department from having to break the door down, so hopefully it will be pretty cost effective for the businesses,” said Nail. “A lot of cities are already using these; we’re adopting it more with an eye toward future growth and newer structures.”

In other business at its April 28 regular meeting, the council:

• Approved a request for police assistance for the May 7 Riding for Residents Jeep ride-along event, a drive-by event to greet residents of assisted living facilities and nursing homes in Hanceville and elsewhere in Cullman County.
• Approved a change order in the amount of $14,975 to accommodate doors, security features and fixtures for the in-progress expansion of jail space at Hanceville City Hall.
• Set May 12 as the date for the council’s next regular meeting, to accommodate multiple council members’ prior commitments.