Fire Prevention & Life Safety Services
Residential Knox Boxes
Residential Knox Boxes are available to district residents who are ill or incapacitated and may need ambulance services in the future. This box holds house keys, to be used by the fire department to gain access into the home without having to damage any locked doors or windows. The Knox system provides additional security for the homeowner. The key box can only be opened by authorized members of the Spring Grove fire department. There is a $25 refundable deposit for the box. Keys to the home must be provided by the resident. A member of the fire prevention bureau will install the box which hangs at the top of the homes front door. To learn more about the Knox Box system, check out their website at www.knoxbox.com
Residential Fire Safety
Over 80% of the fire fatalities in the US occur in peoples homes. A large number of those homes did not have working smoke detectors.
Smoke Detectors
Working smoke alarms offer you early warning of a fire allowing you to exit from the home. The fire department recommends that all smoke detectors:
- Are tested once a month
- Change the batteries once a year
- Replace the detector when it turns ten years old.
- Place the detectors on the ceiling or high on a wall (4" from ceiling")
- Do not place detectors in kitchens or bathrooms where cooking smoke or
- steam could activate them .
Residential Fire Sprinklers
Fire Sprinklers are your greatest line of defense against fire. Sprinklers fight fires immediately, usually containing the fire or extinguishing it before the fire department arrives on the scene.
There are many misconceptions regarding fire sprinklers. If you are planning on building a home, it is wise to consider installing fire sprinklers. Current residential homes can also be retrofitted with sprinkler systems.
Fire Sprinkler facts:
- Water damage from the activated fire sprinkler(s) is minimal compared to the water used by the fire department to fight a much larger fire
- Residential sprinklers offer unobtrusive protection
- Sprinkler systems are affordable and will generally get you a discount in your home owner's insurance.
- It is important to find a general contractor who is educated and has experience with residential sprinkler systems.
For more information regarding residential sprinkler systems contact:
American Fire Sprinkler Association
National Fire Protection Association
National Fire Sprinkler Association, Inc.
