Out-of-Area Owners

We are aware that a number of homes on the Ranch are "second" homes for folks that live in other areas This, of course means that much of the time, the property is left vacant.

Although it does not happen often, we have been called to homes on the Ranch for "an alarm going off", or broken water pipes, etc. where the homeowners are out of town and the home is of course locked. Some of you also have locked gates. When we are called to situations at these homes, in many cases our only access is by cutting locks, or "breaking" into the home to determine the problem.

As an example, on one occasion, we responded to a call from an alarm company for a "fire alarm activation" at a residence on the Ranch. There was no one home when we arrived. We were unable to see any fire or smoke thru the windows, and thus decided not to forcibly enter the home. Instead, we stood by for close to 1/2 hour to make sure that there was in fact nothing on fire inside the home. Later that day we were able to obtain the homeowners home phone number and left a message as to what had happened. When the homeowner returned home and called us, we were told that "the neighbor has a key". Of course we were not aware of who might have a key, and since this call came in at about 2:00 AM, we really did not want to wake up all of the neighbors to see if they had a key.

If we have information such as gate codes, key locations, contact numbers, alarm codes, etc., we can provide that information to our dispatch center who then can relay the information back to us should we need it. This information is given to us by our dispatch center via phone rather than over the air. That way, no one else is able to obtain your information.

You may call or email us with the above information.

Another means to provide us access is thru the use of KNOX-BOX locks. This is a system that is used by many Fire Departments and public safety agencies thru ought the country. Each lock within a Fire Department or other public safety service area is keyed the same, and only that Fire Department or public safety agency has access to the key. (We keep a "Knox" key in a locked box in each of our responding units). If you are interested in participating in this program, you will need to order the unit(s) such as a Residential Knox-Box or Knox Padlock thru us. For information on the various products available, please visit www.knoxbox.com. The Knox-Box system is also a good idea for those who live alone. In the case of a medical emergency where the individual is unable to get to a door to unlock it, we can gain access by use of our Knox key.

For more information about this issue, please contact the Fire District office during regular business hours at 923-6776, or email us at admin@crrfire.com