Boyup Brook Sub Centre volunteers roll out free key lock boxes for eligible residents
Vulnerable Boyup Brook residents can have a key lock box installed at their home for free thanks to a community initiative spearheaded by local St John WA (SJWA) volunteers.
The team at the SJWA Boyup Brook Sub Centre has rallied several local businesses to help fund the program, which has already seen nine key lock boxes installed across town.
Applications are open to anyone living alone aged over 65 or receiving a pension, or for community members who are full-time carers for the person they live with.
Residents who don’t fit the criteria but feel they could benefit from a lock box can still apply and will be considered case-by-case.
Lock boxes are accessed via a code and are used as a secure way for homeowners to store a spare key outside of their homes.
Codes can be registered with SJWA and are provided to crews if they receive a Triple Zero (000) callout to a property.
It can save ambulance volunteers vital seconds when responding to emergencies and provide peace of mind to the homeowner.
SJWA Boyup Brook Sub Centre chairperson Lynne Schreurs said the program had been well received so far with applications still rolling in.
“Our volunteers have been called to several properties where residents leave their keys in the door because they are frightened if something happens to them during the night emergency services won’t be able to get access,” she said.
“Many people think it is okay to hide their spare key under a rock, but if we get called to a house during an emergency, it is very hard to find the right rock.
“To have a lock box on the house is the way to go.”
Ms Schreurs thanked local businesses Afgri, Boree Park, Old Dog, Boyup Brook Co-op and the Shire of Boyup Brook for helping to make the program a reality.
Boyup Brook residents interested in a key lock box can collect an application form from the sub centre, Shire of Boyup Brook or Boyup Brook Medical Centre.
To register a key lock box code with SJWA click here.
