As Cary hunted high and low, its key was safe

CARY -- For days, town firefighters searched trucks and stations, looking for a key that opens 992 gray lockboxes. In those gray boxes are more keys that firefighters use to get into buildings in emergencies. And no one knew who had the key that ruled them all.

Still keyless Friday, the fire department emptied the lockboxes and promised to spend $15,000 to change the locks.

Little did they know, the master key was safe all along.

On Saturday morning, Talie Madans, 36, looked under a recycling bin in a grassy area near the recreation center at Carolina Preserve, a housing development for seniors where she is a manager. There, she found a key.

Not knowing where it came from, she put it on her desk and left town for the weekend.

When she returned, she read about the town's frantic search and put the pieces together: Firefighters from Cary's Fire Station No. 7 visited the rec center to respond to a malfunctioning fire alarm on March 10, the day the key went missing. A firefighter must have dropped it.

She called the department, and they picked up the key Tuesday.

"I can't really run into a burning building, or carry people on my shoulders," she said. "But if I can find a key, I feel like I contributed."

The grateful department is evaluating the way it handles the keys, according to Chief Allan Cain. Cary has 20 masters that open lockboxes, one for each fire truck.

Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said that he doesn't give out keys to the city but that Madans deserves one.

It was the least she could do, Madans said. Cary firefighters often make trips to the senior community.

"It was an exciting day. We found the key, and Papa John's started delivering to us on the same day. What more could you want?" she said.