Fire District Promotes a Key to Emergency Access

New Lenox resident Kimberly LaBerry, 44, was home alone last year and found herself struggling to catch her breath. Her husband, Bob, called home to check on her and immediately knew there was a problem after she managed to answer the phone. He rushed home and found her collapsed on the floor.

“If he hadn’t been close, I wouldn’t be around,” said Kimberly, who has an immune deficiency that makes it impossible to fight off infection. The life-threatening reaction occurred on a weekend; normally Bob is working in Chicago's Loop.  

A few weeks later, the LaBerrys spotted an announcement about a new, potentially life-saving program being run through the that allows them in emergency situations to gain entry in residences occupied by medically fragile people. A year ago, the Fire District Foundation paid for the first three Knox-Boxes, which are cast iron boxes that contain a key and the floor plan of the homes of registered individuals.

For Kimberly, a resident of the Arrow Haven subdivision, the Knox-Box is a security measure in case a complication such as this happened again. Because of her immune deficiency, she is forced to live in what she calls a "bubble." Her four-bedroom brick home provides a relatively safe haven. But a simple trip to the grocery store or attendance at one of her two boys' school programs places her at risk of infection.

The treatment for the former labor and delivery nurse, whose diagnosis was made five years ago, is antibody therapy. A regular infusion of antibodies is intended to help her ward off colds and the flu along with many other serious, life-threatening infections. It seems logical, she said. However the problem is that these antibodies are not her own; they pose a threat in and of themselves. Add to the fact that the combination of prescribed drugs mixed in with the antibodies can cause complications.  

And if that happens, the Fire District wants to be able to respond as quickly as possible. It's not uncommon in New Lenox that homes have front doors that are every bit as prohibiting as the security system at Fort Knox, Fire Marshal Dan Turner said. And that's great for keeping burglars at bay, but it makes it difficult when someone suffering a medical emergency can't get the door open for responding paramedics.

A 911 call for help means that time is of the essence, he said. Every second spent ringing doorbells or knocking on neighbors' doors in search of an extra key delays treatment.

"We don't want break down their front door if we don't have to," Turner said.

A one-quarter-inch thick box with a half-inch steel door and reinforced locking mechanism about the size of a standard alarm clock is installed in an out-of-the-way spot at the front door. The household is registered with the fire department, and a combination of coordinated maneuvers along with the turn of a master key opens the lock on the door. Registration is required to enroll in the program, added Fire District Education Officer Erika Leader.

Last October, LaBerry called the Fire District, and Leader put her on the waiting list.

"It wasn't long, only three months," said LaBerry, before the family was notified that it was eligible for a Knox-Box installation that was made possible through a donation of six pieces by the newly opened Walmart.

The price of a box, about $200, is not particularly prohibitive, said LaBerry, but finances are tight these days, even when insurance covers the bulk of her medical bills.

"I can't work anymore,” she said. “I had to quit a job I loved. I was a nurse for 23 years."

Now, she puts her efforts toward helping others in her situation by working as a volunteer peer counselor for the Immune Deficiency Foundation. Just talking publically about how the Knox-Box has become a newfound source of security is the kind of thing she'd like to share in her role as peer counselor.

"I try to help people recently diagnosed, to help them get through it, to answer some questions,” LaBerry said.

In total, Leader said, the NLFPD has nine Knox-Boxes installed around the community so far. Turner said the Fire District has applied for a grant to fund the purchase of more. The bulk of Knox-Box recipients are senior citizens, but the criteria has nothing to do with age, Leader said. Each of the recipients is at risk of a life-threatening situation. Residents may also purchase their own Knox-Box and register it with the Fire District.