CULLMAN, Ala. – Last weekend, Lowe’s invited local fire and rescue and EMS teams to hold a meet and greet in hopes of raising fire safety awareness. Snacks and drinks were provided by the store and a wooden firetruck craft and inflatable bounce house entertained children. Residents – adults and children alike – were called to explore and ask questions about the various rescue equipment each truck contained. Inflatable rafts and wetsuits for water rescue missions; rope, harnesses and carabiners in the event of a cliff fall; and the legendary (surprisingly quiet) machinery known as the “jaws of life” were all conveniently tucked away in each rescue vehicle, ready for use at any given moment.
Hanceville Assistant Fire Chief Bart Absher was on-site sharing fire safety tips, as well as knowledge of a program entitled “Knox Box.” Similar to a realtor’s lockbox mechanism, a Knox Box holds a residential door key in a steel box mounted to your home. Local EMS and fire and rescue teams hold a master key, allowing them to open the Knox Box and gain entry in the event of an emergency. Absher said all new construction buildings and businesses in Hanceville are already equipped with a commercial-style Knox Box.
Absher described the home Knox Box. “If you have anybody that has mobility issues or an older family member, we have this program. If they fall and can’t get up, they’re not hurt, they don’t need to go to the hospital, they just need help to get up, we can open the door without breaking the door or breaking a window. All they have to supply us is a front door key,” he said. He acknowledged another issue that could be solved by the Knox Box, chuckling while adding, “I even had a lady ask me one time, ‘If I lock myself out of my house will you let me in?’ I said, ‘Call us; if you have one of these and prove you live here, we’ll let you in.’”
Lowe’s Operations Manager Zach Lee said this is the fourth year for the EMS event at Lowe’s, and he hopes it continues to grow.
“We usually bring in Hanceville City; they normally bring their firetruck,” he said. “This year Good Hope’s truck is new, and it’s got the ladder and the big flag on it. It’s been great this year.”
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