BELLA VISTA, Ark. — Imagine having a medical emergency, and being unable to answer your door for first responders. Often this would result in your door being broken down to give you the help you need. The Bella Vista Fire Department is promoting its lockbox program to prevent this from happening.
If you were to call 911 and not be able to open the door yourself, emergency medical services would be able to open the lock box and use a spare key inside to enter quickly.
“In the event of an emergency, instead of breaking down the door to enter the residence, we can unlock the little safe, get your key out and just unlock and let ourselves in your home,” said Cassi Lapp.
More than 600 residents have joined the program since its start in 2011, but Bella Vista Communications Director Cassi Lapp says they are hoping more will join.
“Maybe you are elderly, and you live alone, and your family members are concerned for your safety. So, this is kind of an extra step they can take to make sure somebody is always able to get in and get to that person if they need help,” Lapp said.
The fire department has received more than 4,000 calls so far this year, and more than half of those have been medical emergencies, making these lock boxes a great tool to be able to help patients as quickly as possible.
The current price of the lock boxes is $24 dollars, but in January they will be going up to $40 dollars. Lapp says they have about 90 left at the cheaper price. She says these boxes are specific to the city, and every fire department apparatus has a key in it.
“When you're issued one of these boxes, and everything is installed, we then alert our dispatch center. It's then flagged that that residence has a lockbox so when that resident calls for help, our emergency responders will be made aware,” she said.
Lapp says no one but the fire department has access to the key to open the lockbox.
If you purchase one, you have the option of installing it yourself or the fire department will install it for $43.40. If you are interested in one, you are asked to call the Bella Vista Fire Department at 479-855-4454 and ask for Rachel.
Update: The Bella Vista Fire Department has now sold out of the $24 boxes, but there are still boxes available for $40.
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