In the Event of an Emergency

Our city and county has introduced two very good safety programs.

The first is an emergency beacon light program . Imagine that you have called 911 for an emergency at your home. The emergency responders have to find your house. Many times house numbers on the mailbox may be covered up by large plants used to decorate the mailbox area. Or the in case of house numbers stenciled on your curb, they may be blocked by a car or covered up by snow in the winter. Or the number on your house is difficult to read from the street, especially at night.

The city of St. Peters in partnership with the Mid-East Area on Aging, Central County Fire & Rescue have collaborated to bring the residents of St. Peters a program that provides an Emergency Beacon Device free to all St. Peters residents with emphasis on Seniors, Medically Disabled, and Family of Veterans.

This devise when activated flashes the front porch light which helps the emergency responders locate a house that has called in a 911 report.

In the event of an emergency, Call 911, tell the operator your emergency and tell them to look for the FLASHING PORCH LIGHT. Activate the flashing light.

The devise has three different options.

Option 1. A special light bulb that will flash if the switch is turned on 3 times.

Option 2. A special switch that replaces the the regular light switch. This switch has three positions. Off....911...On. This allows you to use any light bulb as your porch or window light.

Option 3. An adapter that screws into your porch or window light socket. This way you can use a regular light bulb with your regular switch, and it will flash the light when the switch is turned on three times.

We chose option 2 and replaced our original porch light switch. This option requires the homeowner to have the necessary skills to be able to turn off the power to the switch then rewire and install the new switch. The photo below is our switch after installation.

The disadvantage of option 1 is that any bulb has a lifetime. The programs provides the first special bulb at no cost.When this bulbs burns out, the homeowner has to replace it - about a $20 cost.

So for the person who is not skilled at replacing the switch as in option 2, the best choice is option 3 with the special adapter socket.

Here are two testimonials about these beacon program.

As you know our subdivison acquired emergency light bulbs for 49 indivdual homes. Each home has been given one, and we've had two emergencies since last October.

It turned out I was the first person needing help. I started having severe pains in my leg about 10:00 pm. My wife called 911. She then switched on the emergency light.

Our subdivison has 49 homes on a "C" shaped street. All the homes look alike, and at night it's hard to see the addresses. The ambulance got here in record time, and the driver was able to identify the specific house because of the flashing light. I'm sure it would have taken many more minutes to find our house, had it not been for the flashing light. I think it's a wonderful tool and I am a firm believer that everyone should have one.

While at an open house at our local fire station, a fireman told me about this emergency call they had. They were responding to a 911 call in the Turnberry subdivision. As they turned into the street the right seat fireman said "OK, we are on the street, now we have to find the house". The driver (who is the person telling me this story) said "No problem, there it is, the one with the flashing light"

This fireman was so impressed with how the emergency beacon saved them time finding the home, that he gave a donation and asked for a bulb to put on his mother's home.

The second safety program is called Rapid Access.

Imagine yourself at home. You’re having chest pains or some other medical emergency and you call 911. By the time emergency medical service personnel arrive, you may be unable to answer the door. How do they get into your home to save you?

Imagine also that you may be at work or on vacation when a passerby notices smoke coming from your home. They call 911. Emergency responders arrive. How do they get into your home to save your property or precious pets that may be inside? Time is of the essence! And emergency responders are often left with no choice but to forcibly enter your home. This not only takes valuable time, but endangers and may result in further costly damage to your front door or home. The St. Charles County Ambulance District wants to spread the word about a program called Rapid Access. Rapid Access gives emergency responders (ambulance, fire, police) access to your home via a key that is kept in a Master Lock key safe. These little key safes are installed on your property and require an access code to open. At the time of purchase from the St. Charles County Ambulance District a representative will assist you in setting a code for your box and ensure that it is entered into the County’s computer database. If a 911 call is placed for an emergency at your home, your code will automatically be accessible to emergency responders, enabling them to access your key to enter your home and provide prompt care. The Master Lock boxes are available through the St. Charles County Ambulance District for a one-time cost of $24. This seems like a small price to pay for added security and safety. The key safes are also available at Lowe's or Home Depot for about $35.

If you’re like me, you’re wondering who has access to this code that allows entry to your home. St. Charles County Ambulance District says codes are kept confidential. Once a code is entered into the computer system, it will be accessible to emergency personnel and only if there is a 911 call placed from that residence.

Below is photos of our Key Safe installed on our front door jam (Cover closed and open).

The key is attached to the bottom of the safe so it is not easily lost. After the correct combination is entered and the lever above the combination dial is pulled down, the bottom with the attached key drops out of the safe.

This link shows you a close up of the key safe.