ST. PAUL - Anyone within the Town and County of St. Paul who may have a residential lock box, issued by the Fire Department attached to their residence is encouraged to contact the St. Paul Fire Department.
According to Fire Chief Trevor Kotowich the lock box is not a service the fire department maintains, nor did the department start the service. Rather, the County of St. Paul initiated the service, explained the fire chief, adding, the municipality suspended the program years ago and has no records of it.
“We’re just trying to make sure that if people have these lockboxes, that we inform them that they take some steps,” Kotowich said.
Historically, residents who may have subscribed to an emergency call alert system, such as Lifeline or Call-Alert, may have had a lock box installed onto their property, according to the fire department’s media release, sent out on Jan. 29.
“Residents need to contact their monitoring company to let them know the fire department will not respond unless it is requested by the ambulance,” Kotowich told the Journal.
“There is no danger or emergency,” Kotowich explained. “We are just trying to engage some conversation and if people have one of these boxes on their house to reach out to the fire department.”
The department has also not issued any lock boxes in the last 10 years, and does not know how many of these lock boxes are out there.
Lock boxes hold the keys to a home and are typically found at the front of a residence, guarded by a security lock.
“If we need to get into a house, we can get into a house, whether its through a door or window,” Kotowich said.
If you are unsure whether or not this applies to you, or would like further clarification, you may contact Deputy Chief Henry Thomson at (780) 645-4100.
