HomeBox, a fire response tool, now available to Great Falls residents
Knox HomeBox is now available to local residents, according to Great Falls Fire Rescue.
The Knox HomeBox provides first responders with quick and secure access when responding to elderly, chronically ill, and homebound community members during emergency situations.
The boxes significantly reduce the need for a forced entry and resulting damage repairs. No costly monitoring fees required.
More information about HomeBox is available here. Information on how to order a HomeBox is here. The website will ask you to choose your state and fire department to get ordering information.
The HomeBox will also soon be part of GFF’s Community Connect program, according to their fire prevention bureau.
GFFR launched their Community Connect last year.
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The program allows residents and business owners to log in and enter information about their properties, such as who’s living there, pets, medical information, any hazardous materials on site, any mobility issues or other physical needs.
The information is stored securely and is only accessible by firefighters when they’re responding to an emergency call, according to Fire Marshal Mike McIntosh.
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He said GFFR has iPads in fire engines and other apparatus that show them available information about building construction, gas lines, owner or manager contacts, whether they have emergency key boxes, among other details.
Much of that information comes through the city’s GIS system and information gathered by the fire department that migrated from their old records management system, McIntosh said.
Not all buildings have emergency key boxes, but McIntosh said the city is now requiring that on new construction that has life safety systems such as sprinklers or fire alarms.
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The Community Connect program “provides us with a lot more information on the front end, so we know more going in,” he said.
McIntosh said that the system allows them to send text messages to property owners or managers if GFFR has been called to their property in an emergency.
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McIntosh said that often, older residents will tell firefighters that they have a hide-a-key, but that doesn’t help much since it’s not necessarily logged or communicated to other firefighters. Having that information in the Community Connect system means it’s available to any responding GFFR unit and saves time by making it easier to find.
The same goes for door codes to buildings, he said.
The system will email registered users annually to verify or update their information, he said.
For questions on the Knox HomeBox, contact the Great Falls Fire Rescue’s Fire Prevention Bureau at 406-727-8070.
