Title
Residential Lock Box Access Program
Description
This report provides an overview to the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee on the development of a residential lock box program aimed primarily toward seniors and individuals with special needs. Further requests approval to accept donations of lock boxes to support the implementation of the program.
THIS ITEM IS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION.
Report
Summary
An ongoing challenge for the Phoenix Fire Department (PFD) is accessing the homes of seniors or individuals with special needs. Fire staff is often called to the residence of an individual who is too ill to grant access, or in response to a concerned family member requesting staff to check welfare. When this occurs and no one is available to answer the door, Fire staff are faced with the dilemma of having to use force in order access the residence. In order address these challenges, the Fire Department requests approval to establish the Residential Lock Box Access Program, which will provide lock boxes to seniors and individuals with special needs in order to avoid using force to access their residence.
The Fire Department's Community Involvement Section has a small team who will process applications, install the lock boxes, maintain a database of installations, and ensure that the Phoenix Fire Regional Dispatch Center codifies the data in a premise alert for responding units.
The Residential Lock Box Access Program will begin as a pilot program in City Council District 1. This will allow the program managers to determine scope, challenges, and logistics to best serve the community then expand access citywide. Additionally, the data compiled on the efficacy of the pilot program will allow the Fire Department to successfully implement the program throughout the City in the future.
Staff requests the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee recommend the City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to accept a donation of 100 lock boxes from the Phoenix Realtors to support the Residential Lox Box Program.
Financial Impact
There is no impact to the City's General Fund. With Council approval, the lock boxes will donated from Phoenix Realtors to the Phoenix Fire Department. Program management, lock box storage, installations, database management, and on-going maintenance will also be performed by Fire Department Community Involvement staff.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and the Fire Department.