The Douglas Fire Department will be at the Community Health and Wellness Day on October 1, 2016 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Central Square Complex. The Fire Department will be offering fire safety information and encouraging citizens to participate in the Vial of Life program. The Vial of Life program is a smart way to have medical information on hand during emergencies.
“The first thing an emergency responder needs to know is the medical information of the person being treated,” says Interim Fire Chief,Bryson Lott. “Senior citizens and persons who need life-saving medical prescriptions need to have a Vial of Life on hand so that emergency responders will know what medications the person is taking and other critical medical information about the patient, who may not be able to talk or respond during an emergency.”
A Vial of Life Emergency Information Form will list medical information such as current medications, emergency contact, recent surgeries, procedures to avoid, allergies, and more medical information.
The form should be folded with a rubber band around it for easy removal, inserted into a medicine bottle and placed in the refrigerator at your home on the top shelf. Affix a decal on the outside of the refrigerator so that emergency responders will see the decal and know your medical information is in the vial in the refrigerator. It is also a good idea to place a second vial of life in the glove compartment of your vehicle and affix a decal to the outside of the glove compartment door in case of a traffic accident.
The Douglas Fire Department’s Vial of Life program is sponsored by the Medicine Cabinet. For more information about the Vial of Life program, stop by the fire department’s booth at Community Health and Wellness Day Saturday, October 1, or call 912-384-4815.
– Submitted