LIFE FACTS INFORMATION CARDS
BY TOM KIURSKI, firefighter and director of fire safety education, Livonia (MI) Fire & Rescue
Phone cards, credit cards, debit cards, business cards. There`s a wealth of information to be found in all those cards you carry in your wallet, but how many of those cards can help save your life in case of an emergency? Livonia (MI) Fire & Rescue`s Life Facts Information Card is a card that can.
The concept of Life Facts Information Cards grew out of exposure to a number of ideas, the most common of which was the school Emergency Contact Cards we, as parents, are asked to complete on a regular basis. In our ongoing commitment to keep the community safe and educated, Livonia firefighters took the emergency contact card concept one step further.
Designed to provide concise, relevant personal, medical, and emergency contact information, the wallet-sized Life Facts Information Card can be carried in a pocket, purse, or backpack and can easily give emergency responders the information they need to administer emergency medical care or obtain necessary authorization to do so.
Since the cards are printed on cardboard and are wallet-size, their cost is minimal, thereby making it possible to give the cards away free to area residents, civic groups, schools, and those who visit the fire stations. All of the information asked for on the card is optional and can be easily changed.
For elderly citizens, who often have important medical information in several locations in their homes, all the information responding firefighters need to care for them and complete an incident report is conveniently stored on one card that is kept in the wallet.
Parents of a child who is injured while away from home can be contacted immediately if a card is carried in the child`s pocket or backpack. Cards can also be filled out and left in a wallet with grandparents, babysitters, or neighbors.
Adding the Life Facts Information Cards to Livonia`s other programs and services enables citizens to feel more secure when they or their families need emergency care. n
