SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. -- If you watched Chet Brannon get his mail at his home in Simpsonville, you'd never know there was anything special about his mailbox.

But it's mostly unlike any mailbox you have ever seen.

"This is called the Home Emergency Lamp Post," said Brannon standing next to his mailbox. "The acronym is HELP so it's easy to remember."

Brannon got a patent for his invention in June.

It's powered by a control box that is plugged in inside a garage or home.

If someone needs help, they just press a remote button and then the mailbox goes off like a car alarm on steroids.

It's equipped with a flashing strobe light on top and a 120-decibel siren.

"It alerts your neighbors that you need help so you can get immediate assistance," said Brannon. "Also, it directs EMS directly to you so there's no more riding by looking for the correct home anymore."

Brannon is marketing the mailbox to homeowners and developers.

So far, two developers in the Upstate have decided to put the mailboxes in their new subdivisions in Greer: Autumn Grove and Watkins Farm.

The owners of The Norton Company LLC, which is developing Watkins Farm, said they wanted something unique for their 16-home neighborhood.

They also thought the additional security offered by the mailboxes could be a strong selling point.

"If an ambulance was trying to find you it will be a lot of help," said Mary Beth Norton with The Norton Company LLC.

For now the mailboxes don't call police, so someone would still need to dial 911.

But Brannon believes his new mailboxes on their own enough security.

"We know the interest is out there," he said. "We just need to get it out there to them."

The mailboxes cost about $500. For more information, click on: HomeEmergencyLampPost.com