PASCO COUNTY, Fla. – Pasco County Fire Rescue is working to let homeowners know that they can take part in the Knox HomeBox Program, similar to one commercial buildings have been involved with for years. It’s something fire officials said they hope can help crews with an obstacle they run into all too often.
- Pasco residents now able to participate in life saving program
- Know Box program allows fire crews to gain quick access inside a home
- Homeowners leave key to home in a secure, locked box
- Fire crews have universal key/code to open box
- Know Box could save valuable time during an emergency
“Happens very frequently,” said Lindsay Mathew, a driver, engineer, and paramedic with Pasco Fire Rescue. “We get to the house, often it’s a true emergency, and we have to make access into the house.”
While Mathew said firefighters are taught to “try before you pry” – or test to make sure a door hasn’t been left unlocked – the main concern is getting inside to provide aid to someone who may be in trouble.
“We will look for the way that we can get into the building doing the least amount of damage in a reasonable amount of time. Now, I put enough caveats in that sentence to say – I’m breaking something,” said Pasco Fire Marshal Karl Thompson.
That’s where the Knox Box comes in. Homeowners can buy the secure box and install it on their home. Someone from Pasco Fire Rescue will come out and lock their house key inside. Every fire truck has a universal key that’s unique to PCFR. A firefighter can access that key with his or her individual numerical code that transmits a signal to dispatch. Crews can then quickly get into the home, saving time in getting to someone in distress and saving homeowners money.
The program itself does come at a cost -- not to PCFR, but to homeowners. They have to buy the boxes themselves, which are about $200.
“Which is a little pricey, I understand, but when you look at the price of a door plus the cost to install it, it’s a lot cheaper,” said Thompson.
Thompson said grant money or other funding may be available in the future to offset that cost. Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano said help may also become available from the county.
“We’re going to certainly try to do it on a broad base where you can actually get a better price going forward to supply these, and we could be the supplier of them, but we definitely want to see this try to happen,” Mariano said.
When someone is injured or your house is on fire, there’s an emergency or hazard going on inside your house, every second does "matter. Making access can make all the difference,” said Mathew.
Thompson stresses that the program is voluntary.
To learn more about the home Knox Box program, click here.