Rapid Access: 2011 Holiday Issue
Learn how the Residential Knox-Box becomes invaluable in a home emergency.
In the late evening hours of June 10th, members of the Goshen, MA Fire Department (GFD) were dispatched to a call for an alarm sounding at a residence in town. Read More...
In the late evening hours of June 10th, members of the Goshen, MA Fire Department (GFD) were dispatched to a call for an alarm sounding at a residence in town. Since the installation of monitored alarm systems has steadily risen over the years, these types of calls have become commonplace for the GFD with many of them being unfounded false alarms. Little did the responders know that this call would be anything but routine.
Goshen is a small town nestled in the foothills of the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts. Like many small towns, people who live here tend to know each other and look after one another as well. GFD members also have a habit of knowing addresses as a way to enhance response times during emergencies.
The address for this call was recognized by Fire Chief Susan Labrie. It belonged to a woman that the Chief had helped earlier in the year to arrange the installation of a Residential Knox-Box on her home. “Since it was after 11PM, I was confident she would be home,” shared Chief Labrie.
The first firefighter to arrive on scene lived just down the street. Firefighter Monica Neveu called dispatch over her radio and informed them that she could hear an audible alarm sounding inside the building and was investigating its source. Firefighter Neveu attempted to gain entry to the home but found locked doors. Moments later, as Chief Labrie and other firefighters were pulling into the driveway to the home, Firefighter Neveu called dispatch once again to request that an ambulance and police be sent to the scene. She reported that while looking through the living room window with her flashlight, she was able to make out the legs of an individual on the floor through a cloud of smoke that had filled the house.
Goshen Fire Department members in front of Engine 2
The Knox Master Key is stored in KeySecure units on GFD apparatus and with the Fire Chief. Chief Labrie used her master key to access the Knox-Box and retrieve the key to the residence. Using that key, firefighters were able to enter the ground floor of the home. Once inside, they made their way up the stairs leading to the kitchen area on the main level. There, they were met by a wall of smoke that permeated the house. A light over the range illuminated the source of the smoke - an unattended frying pan on the stove. According to Chief Labrie, “Whatever she was cooking had become part of the pan but we couldn’t tell what it was. There were no flames; just a lot of smoke.”
At this point, firefighters split up into pairs. One group attended to the still simmering pan and unrecognizable food that was in it while the other headed into the living room where they found the unconscious resident. While attending to her needs, other department members set up fans to evacuate the smoke from the home to improve working conditions. Ultimately, the patient regained consciousness and was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
A few days later, the resident provided firefighters with details which led to a series of what turned out to be very fortunate events. She had returned home from grocery shopping around 5:30PM that evening. While unloading bags from her car, she decided to start making dinner and placed a steak in a frying pan and set the stove on medium heat. As she walked into the living room she either tripped or fell to the floor causing her to hit her head on a table as she went down. There she lay, unconscious, for almost 6 hours until firefighters arrived and revived her.
Clearly, this resident was very fortunate. While she did sustain a minor injury, both she and her house were saved as a result of the prior planning she had in place combined with a monitored alarm system and working smoke detectors. Having a Knox-Box not only allowed firefighters to quickly gain access to her house, but they were also able to secure the house after her ordeal while she was on route to the hospital. When she returned home, the homeowner didn’t have to worry about repairing broken windows or doors since firefighters simply used the house key to get in.
The Goshen Fire Department also has a program in place where they loan a Knox-Box (Door Hang model) to residents who need them on a temporary basis. They strongly recommend all residents with a monitored alarm system to also install a Knox-Box on a permanent basis.
Goshen Fire is an all volunteer department located in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. Each member carries a pager and responds around the clock as needed. The department serves approximately 1,000 full time residents and more than 200 seasonal homes in addition to several private youth camps and a state forest campground.