How do paramedics get into your home?

[Useranon1]

Just pondering this as I'm home alone with covid, in a 4th floor flat.

If I needed emergency help, how would they get in? I'd be too weak to buzz them or unlock my door?

Can you tell I'm bored and ill and my brain is rambling?!

My DP spends a lot of his working days as a firefighter opening doors for paramedics and police.
They change the lock themselves so there's no waiting around for joiners as mentioned upthread. I guess they'd have to call someone if the door was knackered, but usually it's pretty easy for them to pick the lock.
Frequently though, the person isn't in need of urgent help, they just didn't answer the door when the paramedic/police knocked or shouted through the letterbox.

Most flats have a fireman's key access, then if need be force your front door open.

Even if there's a threat to life the tenant/ homeowner pays. I've done plenty of threat to life forced entries in my time.

OP you leave your front door unlocked when you start feeling bad and the buzz another flat to get in the communal door.

In a block of flats we will generally find another resident to let us in is necessary (obviously not ideal in the middle of the night). If it is a coded entry then that code can be given when calling 999

Elderly and those with chronic conditions are advised to have key safes. My top tips with these are

1. Don't use the year of your birth or any of your relatives, it doesn't take a thief long to work through 1900 to 2022 on a combination lock.
2. Don't leave your key in the lock on the inside of the door blocking the key you've left in your key safe.

Police broke into my mothers and changed the locks in minutes.

OP many house insurance policies cover for damage if emergency services have had to force entry

I've had some fairly significant health issues over the last 16 months, including a frequent feeling of collapsing. I've realised that the safest place for me in this situation is out my front door. Every time this has happened when I've been home alone I've got myself outside onto the front step while seeking help from someone else over the phone. Our house is only locked when we go to bed, so no access issues but by being outside I know that some form of help will be there in a minute at most.

I really quite fancy a new door though, so I might start locking myself in 😂

Our neighbour collapsed (and sadly died) in his house during lockdown 1, the paramedics got me to climb in his window as they couldn't fit and I had experienced climbing in the same stupid window in my house.

I believe that they then replace the door or locks, or make sure to secure it adequately free of charge, the

They'll leave the house secure but the householder or tenant has to foot the bill, very often for a new door

I think the most memorable entry we had was a door at a very old, very expensive house. Cops had to get through storm doors. The doors were very sturdy. Took numerous attempts & in the process the stone mantle above the door split - £20,000 of damage 🙈 The home owner took it very well considering

My Mum's neighbour called for an ambulance late at night. No one asked about access and the ambulance team knocked on my Mum's door at 11.30pm. She was pretty uncomfortable about it as she's elderly and didn't want to answer the door, but as she had a key she gave it to them (didn't want to leave the comfort and safety of her home).

My great Aunt has a keysafe and you can register them with the ambulance service so if an ambulance is called to that address the paramedics have the number on the call information which works well.

Can I just say slightly off topic Marlisa is a lovely name 🥰

They would probably ring the other flats doorbells then once in break your door down

Weirdly I was wondering this today because I remember a time when I was six and my mum collapsed with a massive ovarian cyst. I called 999 and then remember paramedics taking me to my dads (how did they know where he lived? I don’t remember telling them..) and then I remember them walking up to my dads room having gained access somehow to the house- and waking him up. I can only think I must have somehow helped them maybe I knew the key location or something but I don’t think I did. Very strange.

That is where the old trick of having a key on a string that you can reach through the letters box, comes in handy.

Totally unsafe but very handy.

We had a similar incident in a flat with a neighbour - they lived above us. Paramedics had no problem accessing the shared door & the police where with them - they broke the glass in order to access the flat.

Could you leave your door unlocked?

I always leave my front door unlocked when I'm home because I scared everyone won't get out if there was a fire etc.
I put the door chain across for some security - but that could easily be barged through by someone strong.