I have a Knox Box http://www.knoxbox.com/store/search-resu...70959?Cat_ID=47 on my front door the local FD has a key to access the box, with my house keys inside the box.

Get a keypad deadbolt. Be sure and get a good quality one ("Schlage" - however you spell that - are good). The KwikSet ones are allegedly junk. Little cheap motors that drive cheap plastic gears to move the deadbolt. The deadbolt material itself is fine, the internal mechanism is not. Get one where the deadbolt is made "live" by the correct entry code, but you still have to manually turn a knob to move the deadbolt after entering the code. These are much stronger and better locks. It goes without saying that you want one with a key bypass, but I think they all come with this feature (your battery will eventually die on you, locking you out without a key bypass). I think these locks (the good ones) run between $100 and $150.

I used to wonder how FD would get into your home if you were incapacitated. Then I watched a video/photos of FD using a Halligan bar for forced entry. I think someone here posted a link. No fear of them not getting in now. Martin's suggestion will also work!

Other than a fortified bunker with no windows, I doubt there are many houses that could not be easily entered by the FD or PD in an emergency. You might need to replace a window or a doorjam after entry, but that is a minor deal in the big scheme of things. My son accidentally "entered" our house the other day with a misplaced slapshot - the hockey puck went right through the window without encountering any formidable resistance!

Yup, I'd rather save the cash to repair the broken door or window AFTER the forced entry. The emergency responders are pros and have no trouble getting into locked places. I'm not sure investing in a keypad deadbolt or any other gadget would accomplish anything.

I'd rather spend a couple hundred bucks up front for a key box to avoid the damage caused by forced entry.

In looking at the Knox product line (thanks, SBRaider!), I have learned that they work with fire departments by providing master keys to FD's for at least one of their boxes (the 1650 Knox Residential model). The FD has the ONLY key to the box so it is emergency personnel only. I like that idea and I'll be contacting our FD to find out if they are on board with Knox.

Thanks to everyone for your input.

We have them on our apartment buildings. IMHO they have saved us a ton of time and money by not having to replace locks and doors after an emergency situation. I do know a record is kept every time the FD to access the box. I believe a radio signal is sent to dispatch to the responding unit, releasing the access key for use. Seems like a fairly secure system.

Those are the good stuff, I've installed a bunch of those. Those boxes are pretty much indestructible, too, so you don't have to worry about a thief getting the key out and using it to gain entry.

They even make them with tamper switches that can be tied into your security system, so if (by some miracle) someone does manage to open the box or they rip it off the wall, the alarm will go off. They cost a little more than the standard model.

That's what a local fire marshal told me the other day while we were discussing Knox boxes while hanging out on a job site. They have a box in the fire truck that can only be opened by receiving a computer signal from the 911 dispatch center.

Every time the box on the fire truck is opened, a log entry is made of who authorized the box being opened, who removed the key, the time the box was opened, the time it was closed, and which key was removed.

We mount them in the vicinity of the front door to buildings, outside of sprinkler riser rooms, and outside of machine/electrical rooms containing fire alarm control units. They come with a sticker to affix to the door letting the FD know there's a Knox box in the vicinity of the door before they chop it open.

So, my FD is good to go with the Knox boxes and they said that they wished more people would install them. I'll soon be placing an order for the residential model with the bracket that hooks over the top of the door.

Thanks again to everyone for the feedback.

[I hope my posts don't get deleted from this thread like they did earlier today in another thread.]