I believe the keys remain with the property owner’s property, in a lock box. The only people with access to the box is the fire department. Firefighters are the main advocates for it, not bureaucrats. It just makes responding to fire alarms faster and easier.

Of course, quick ‘n easy doesn’t trump constitutional rights. I just suspect the handful of business owners in the video likely have other, ongoing gripes with this city council.

OTOH, having a Gubbmint Entity demand that Citizens give up their rights/keys is an intrusion of a different color.

Of course, our firefighters are citizen volunteers. They’re donating their time and there’s a desire not to make their task more lengthy and difficult. I guess if there was ever resistence to it, the mandate would be dropped. But for now property owners agree with it.

I think there are some other issues in Cedar Falls that are driving this.

I understand the fears but they haven’t born out here….

Excellent question. And I never did hear an answer to whether the city would be liable if anyone got hold of those keys and did something unauthorized with them.

Land… cannot be treated as an ordinary asset, controlled by individuals and subject to the pressures and inefficiencies of the market. Private land ownership is also a principal instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth and therefore contributes to social injustice; if unchecked, it may become a major obstacle in the planning and implementation of development schemes. The provision of decent dwellings and healthy conditions for the people can only be achieved if land is used in the interest of society as a whole.

*PDF warning*

So, Mr Public Safety. What’s your current record on unnecessary door breaking-downs? Got a little problem there, do ya? No? So what’s yer goal, then?

It strikes me that the folks at that meeting were being entirely too reasonable with those bureau-klownz. Ya can’t fight bs logyk with rational debate. [and that was the biggest pile of pseudo-reasoning and straw-man scare tactix I've seen since the last County meeting I went to]

What they need is a short, sharp reminder that they are the hired help and an advisory to seek other employment.
“What the hell is worng with you?!?’
“NO. We’re not doing that.”

All this so the Fire Department does not have to break down a door, especially for what may be a false alarm? As one business owner said, insurance covers that. Query: will his insurance change if he puts a key on the outside of his store?