MADAWASKA – A Madawaska resident who was concerned about the ability of emergency personnel entering her home during an emergency found a friend and an ally in Madawaska Fire Chief Norman Cyr earlier this year.

Cyr said his project of installing rapid-entry systems on homes may be a first in Maine for private homes. Businesses have been using a similar system for years.

This week Cyr has been installing the rapid-entry systems at homes of senior citizens and disabled people who may require emergency assistance.

The Knox Rapid Entry system is a simple unit installed at the main door to homes. It slips over the door, and the locked box contains a key to get into the home. Emergency personnel have keys to open the locked box.

“Lucienne Tardif brought her concern to me,” Cyr said Wednesday. “She was concerned that emergency personnel may not have easy entry to her home if she and her husband were incapacitated.

“[In] the homes where I am installing, there are people who may have Lifeline systems where they can get emergency personnel to their home with a telephone call during a medical or other emergency,” Cyr explained. “With the rapid entry system, fire and ambulance personnel have access to the house if the residents can’t come to the door.”

“It saves precious minutes when an emergency happens,” Cyr said. “It also allows entry without damage being done to the home.

“I’ve never heard of them used at private homes, but it sounded like a good idea,” Cyr said.

Cyr said the Tardif home had a Lifeline system, but the Tardifs did not want to leave a key to their home outside.

The system has been used by businesses for nearly three decades. In Madawaska, Cyr said, 18 businesses have the rapid entry system that allows emergency personnel to enter their premises without damaging or destroying doors and windows.

Some places also use the rapid entry boxes to allow key personnel entry through locked gates.

Cyr demonstrated the unit that he slips over the top of the entry to the home.

The 3-by-5-inch box is a small strongbox that holds a door key provided by the homeowner.

In Madawaska’s case, keys to the locked boxes are available to firefighters and ambulance personnel. Three officers of the local volunteer fire department have the keys, and both municipal ambulances have keys in their units.

Cyr or other fire department personnel attach the boxes to homes free of charge. The Thomas O. Cyr Post of the American Legion at Madawaska paid to purchase five of the boxes for the fire chief. The boxes cost $150 each.

Cyr said he intends to recycle the boxes at other homes when they become available. He will also be seeking donations from other service clubs to get more boxes to install at private homes where they are needed.