Painesville City Fire Department Utilizes Knox Box Program

The Painesville City Fire Department, through gracious donations from the Painesville Elks Lodge (723 Liberty Street) and Mar-Bal Inc. (787 Renaissance Parkway), has established a residential Knox Box rental program.

 

A Knox Box is a key box that is mounted on a house or door and holds a single key to allow the fire department immediate access in the event of an emergency. The fire department holds a master key to the city’s Knox Boxes, making the box secure to any outside entities. Knox Boxes are trusted by thousands of emergency departments across the county and removes the barriers of entry, which reduces injuries to first responders and minimizes property damage.

 

“Knox boxes speed up our entry process and improve emergency response times,” said Painesville Fire Chief Mark Mlachak. “If we are responding to an emergency and all entrances are locked, we must enter by force. Eliminating this obstacle means we get to victims faster and save residents from potential property damage.”

 

A residential Knox Box can be purchased directly through the Knox Company at www.knoxbox.com with a starting price of $159 each. Residents can also rent a box through the Painesville City Fire Department for $20 a year.

 

The Painesville City Fire Department presently has a stock of nine Knox Boxes available. The criteria for eligibility and installation includes that the location is within the City of Painesville and that the owner of the property and current resident consent to the installation of the box. To rent a Knox Box, residents can contact the Painesville City Fire Department at 440-392-5848.