In Florida Emergency, Lockboxes Provide the Key

OLDSMAR - Say you've fallen and can't get up.

You call 911.

The fire department comes but you can't get to the front door. So rescuers break it down.

That can get pricey.

Now, thanks to a new service available in Oldsmar, rescuers can just use a house key.

Oldsmar Fire Rescue is starting a lockbox program for disabled, elderly or medically needy people who might not be able to answer the door after calling for help or pressing a medic alert button.

A small, secure black box with a red stripe is mounted on the front door. County and city emergency responders with pass keys are the only ones who can access it.

Similar lockboxes are used by rescuers throughout Pinellas County in gated communities, high-rises and businesses.

But it's unusual to use the program for private homes.

"It's a little peace of mind for families,'\u2009" said Oldsmar fire Chief Scott McGuff.

McGuff said he plans to buy a lockbox for his 80-year-old mother, Florence McGuff. She is healthy now but you never know when she could tumble and break a hip, he said.

St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue and the Temple Terrace Fire Department also offer the program.

"It's a means of us getting inside without breaking down a $1,000 door,' " said St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue spokesman Lt. Rick Feinberg.

He said the department "used to discourage the residential (lockboxes) for security reasons, but that has changed a little."

Since the program was implemented a few years ago, he knows of only one lockbox that was stolen, ripped off a wall. The thieves thought they could break into it but were unsuccessful, Feinberg said.

He said residents have insisted on having the lockboxes even though it might seem to some to be a security risk.

"Would a burglar look at it and (conclude) someone who has a box could be vulnerable inside? Certainly," said Feinberg.

But he said St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue does not release the names or addresses of people who have private lockboxes and searching for one is like "looking for a needle in a haystack."

About 10 to 12 people in St. Petersburg participate in the program, Feinberg said.

In Oldsmar, rescuers are preparing to install the first box any day now.

"We are asking for donations to get the program started,' " said Aaron Gonzalez, an Oldsmar Fire Rescue firefighter and paramedic.

Oldsmar gets its lockboxes from the Knox-Box Rapid Entry System, based in Phoenix. Each costs $170. But for some people, the reassurance is worth the price, fire officials say.

"It's a nice thing to have," said Feinberg.

Eileen Schulte can be reached at (727) 445-4153 or schulte@sptimes.com