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E d i t o r i a lWe hope you find the articles thismonth informative. We have twodepartments with unique applicationsas well as an article on getting results.If you haven’t checked out what is newat Knox, I’d suggest you stop by ourbooth at an upcoming tradeshow inyour area. Since many of you may notbe able to travel to the national showsdue to the economic downturn, we havemade a company decision to continueto exhibit at many of the state andregional shows. So, even if you can’ttravel to one of the national shows, youshould still be able to see Knox at alocal show. On page 7, you will find ashort listing of some of the upcomingshows where we will be exhibiting.The Knox newsletter is the firedepartment’s voice as well as ours. If youwould like to share how your departmenthas solved issues by instituting theKnox program, or if you have somevaluable pointers for departmentsjust implementing the system, let’sspread the word in the newsletter.Please contact me at 800.552.5669ext 505 or cjones@knoxbox.com.Thank you for your support of the KnoxSystem. We look forward to servingyour department for years to come.Knox Technical Support1-866-566-9269When a department purchases a Knox electronic product or software, the purchaseprice includes technical support from Knox. While some manufacturers chargecustomers for technical support, Knox does not.Knox has an entire department devoted to technical support. If you’re havingan issue with an electronic product or software, please contact tech support at thenumber above if you’re unable to resolve the issue yourself within 5-10 minutes.We can usually save you time, energy and effort.When you call in, the technician will ask some basic information to locate youraccount. They will record the call and any details in your account’s history. (It’s alsoa good idea to record the name of the individual you spoke with for your records.)This information will help us better serve you, if you have to call back. We ask thatyou provide as much information as possible on the issue. The more informationyou’re able to provide, the quicker we’ll be able to help you resolve the issue.Our technicians are trained to provide service on our units and software. Inmost cases, they’re able to resolve the problem in one call. If they are unable toresolve an issue after two attempts, they will forward the issue on to an engineerto review. Once the engineer reviews all the notes on the account, they will contactthe department to gather further information and troubleshoot the problem. In thevast majority of cases, an engineer can solve the issue over the phone.In rare cases, the issue cannot be resolved over the phone. In these cases, youwill be asked to either return the unit to the factory or an engineer may be sent tothe department. The course of action taken is based on several criteria includingthe nature of the issue and the number of units impacted. If an engineer is sent tothe department, we ask that the department provide an individual familiar with theissue to accompany the engineer during their visit as they will need information onthe issue as well as access to the units.Occasionally, the issue is actually a request to modify a product or its software.While we review all requests received, we are not always able to fulfillthem. Some changes require re-engineering of the product or software.All re-engineering projects go through a process that can take from six monthsto more than a year depending on the complexity of the change. Finally, we willnot make a modification if we determine that it would weaken the integrity of theproduct’s security.If you do have an issue, do not hesitate to give technical support a call. They’rehere to help you with your technical questions at no charge to your department.EditorCynthia JonesPublisherKnox CompanyArt DirectorCynthia WeissAll products mentioned in this document are registeredtrademarks and copyrighted by their respectiveowners.Rapid Access is published bimonthly by KnoxCompany, 1601 W. Deer Valley Road, Phoenix, AZ85027. ©2009 Knox Company. All Rights Reserved.2
Traer Ambulance ServiceT R A E R , I AIn 2005, Traer AmbulanceService in Traer, Iowawas looking for a wayto improve access andcare to residents within their jurisdiction.“People would leave their key with usor tell us the key was at such and suchlocation such as the ceramic frog by thefront door,” stated Martin Herker. All keysgiven to the department were kept at thestation. When responding to a residence,the crew had to remember to take theresident’s key with them. “If we forgot totake the key with us, it was of no goodto us,” Herker said. Hiding an entrancekey on site holds many drawbacks. Whileresponders can find the key, so cananyone else looking to find a way inside.Additionally, “during the winter thatceramic frog would be covered with 1-2feet of snow and ice. We’d have to digjust to find the frog,” Herker explained.“We began asking ourselves whatcould we do to improve access and care?We talked with several neighboringdepartments to get some ideas and settledon the Knox System,” Herker shared. TraerAmbulance felt the biggest selling pointfor deciding to go with the Knox Systemwas the security of the system. Sincethe boxes are going on residences, manyhomeowners were concerned about othersMartin Herker of Traer Ambulance Service drillingto mount a residential Knox-Box on a home.being able to get inside the Knox-Box togain access to their homes. “We showed asample box at community events. The boxcan’t be pried open. A key is needed.” Whenthe department received their KeySecureunit, they took it to a few communityevents and challenged residents to getthe key out of the unit. “They were unableto remove the key without a PIN code,”Herker said.Originally, Traer began their KnoxProgram to help provide care for thoseresidents using the Lifeline® service.Next, they expanded the programto several senior housing apartmentcomplexes. More recently, they have addeda box to the entrance of a fitness centerthat provides after hours access to somemembers via a swipe card. These membersgenerally are in the center by themselves.If they fall off the treadmill or twist theirankle working out, they can call TraerAmbulance to provide medical assistance.They carry an emergency call button thatcontacts Traer Ambulance directly. TraerAmbulance is able to enter the facility byusing the Knox-Box.Traer Ambulance provides the KnoxProgram to their community as a freeservice. They received funding for the first20 boxes and two KeySecure units via agrant from a community foundation. Thegrant provided funds to pay for 50% of theinitial purchase. The department providedthe remaining funds. As funds have becomeavailable, they have purchased additionalboxes. Today there are approximately 40residential boxes installed within theircommunity. All boxes are owned bythe department and are lent out to theresidents. Residents do not purchase theirown boxes.The department installs all boxesand when a box is no longer needed ata residence, Traer Ambulance removesthe box. Installing and removing a boxprovides a great opportunity for theresponders to meet with those in thecommunity in a non-emergency setting. Itis very common for a neighbor to inquireabout an ambulance in front of a home.This allows the department to explain theKnox Program and answer any questionsresidents may have.Located in east central Iowa, TraerAmbulance is a combination career/volunteer EMS provider covering 140square miles in northern Tama County.They maintain two ambulances with athree person crew on call at all times.3
Page 1: Volume XVIIssue 3Summer 2009Knox Co
Page 5: y Larry PiggSmall Steps toEnhance S
Page 8: 1601 W. Deer Valley RoadPhoenix, AZ

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