Breaking and Entering

The following information comes from our Special Needs Program Coordinator, Deborah, and is valuable information for us all… but especially to those of us with family members who may be more vulnerable because of a disability.

Did you know emergency responders may break your door down if you have an emergency and cannot get to the front door to let them in? This could mean…

• leaving your child with a disability alone in a wide open house.
• making your house an easy target for burglary.
• your pets going on vacation without you, if they are like mine.

There is something you can do to protect your family and your door.  There is a special lock box you can have installed at your front door to which only the Fire Department will have a key.

Inside it, keep a house key, emergency contact numbers, and a medication list.

In the event an emergency occurs, instead of busting your door down, firefighters can unlock this lockbox, use your house key instead of their battering ram, and notify the emergency contacts on your list.

How to get your own lock box:

Contact your city’s fire department.  In Oklahoma City, contact:

OKC Fire Dept.
2300 General Pershing Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73107

Your local fire department has a catalogue (with prices) you can choose from, can explain how to complete the form, and can tell you whose signatures you will need for authorization.

I hope you never have an emergency requiring the use of this box, but this information was too good not to share