Emergency Access Program Gives Vulnerable Residents Peace of Mind

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

Imagine you’re having chest pains, or you’ve taken a serious fall inside your home. What if no one could get to the front door to let in firefighters? The Residential KnoxBox program is designed to help in just these scenarios. The objective is to provide back-up emergency access to overcome a barrier during crises: a locked front door. Launched in 2020, the program provides indestructible lock boxes that store a spare house key. Called KnoxBoxes, County Fire staff install the boxes at no cost on the homes of qualifying residents. The program is available to some of County Fire’s most vulnerable residents: those 62 years or older, disabled, or who need help with a major life activity.Prior to launch, staff took multiple steps to ensure the program’s success. Those steps included securing local and federal funding, developing a detailed program guide, building an online system to track customers, and forming new partnerships to promote the program. County Fire exceeded its goal of enrolling nearly 200 customers in the initial four months. The program is providing peace of mind and improving trust with our diverse communities. It’s also replicable. At least three other local public agencies are designing similar programs.