How To Prepare For An Emergency: Some Tips

CHATHAM – A recent event in Chatham, in which an elderly local woman went missing overnight, has led many local residents to think about how to be prepared to deal with a range of emergency situations.

The recent incident occurred while she was being brought by family members to a medical facility. Chatham Chief of Police Michael Anderson encouraged residents to involve the Fire-Rescue Department in planning such a move.

"They are trained and equipped to properly handle patient care," he wrote recently.

In addition, he said, "if a family member becomes separated and may be lost or missing, please report this to public safety as soon as possible by calling 911. Time is of the essence."

Being prepared before an emergency happens can help save lives. But how can you prepare for a life threatening emergency, when it usually comes as a complete surprise? According to Chatham Fire Department Firefighter-Paramedic Rachel McGrath, "any preparations can help save time when minutes count."

And while the emergency medical services team will do everything they can for you, the first step is to get to you. As McGrath said in an interview recently, "we just need to be able to find people," she noted. "We will do the rest."

Easy, right? Not so fast.

"When someone calls 911 we will ask for their location, including any obstacles in accessing the property," she said. "It's important for children and out-of-town guests to know the address where they are staying," McGrath added. "The information should be written out and kept in a visible location if multiple guests are coming and going."

If a house is not clearly numbered, time can be lost searching between multiple residences. McGrath encouraged residents to check it out themselves. "Look at your home from the street. Is the number visible day and night? Can it be seen from a couple of houses away? Are the numbers large enough to be seen from the road?" The house may have been numbered at one point, but perhaps the numbers have fallen off and vegetation has obscured them. Need help? The fire department can assist with providing and installing visible house numbers.

Once first responders have reached the house, they may not be able to get in.

"The majority of our 911 calls are for people who have fallen at home," McGrath said. If someone is at home with a medical emergency and the door is locked "our personnel will find a way in," McGrath said, adding they are "fully trained to perform forcible entry quickly and effectively." While some homes have private security monitoring services that are accessible by a keypad, to save time, nearly 1,000 residents and businesses in town have installed a fire department lock box, which provides a secure location for the house key, on their doors. These lock boxes can be ordered and installed by the fire department and can only be accessed by them.

Now that the first responders have gotten in and are with you, it would be helpful for them to know basic information, including your name, date of birth, medical conditions, allergies and daily medications.

"Anything that is written down and current is appreciated!" McGrath stressed. She added that it is particularly helpful when residents have a "File of Life" that is filled out with current information to aid the EMS.

The File of Life consists of a folded card that fits into an included plastic magnetic pocket to be kept in a visible place. It has spaces for basic demographic information, allergies, daily medications and brief medical history. These are available at the Chatham Fire Department for free.

"Each member of the household should keep one at home," McGrath said, adding that some people keep an additional one in the car or purse.

With the advent of health apps on our phones, can technology take the place of a piece of paper for providing information? McGrath said "maybe one day," however "we're not there yet." The information is not on everyone's phone, not standardized and often unreliable, she added. Phones are helpful in many ways, but in an emergency they are often lost, dead or locked. EMS will look for something in writing, so simply "scribbling the information that you are allergic to a drug, for example, on a piece of paper and putting it in your pocket" is helpful.

"We also look for medical ID bracelets or pendants for this information," she added.

Not all calls require a trip to the hospital. "Sometimes people want to be evaluated, they don't know if they have a serious problem and they want help deciding what to do. By calling the office or 911, the team can come out and help decide what makes sense," McGrath added. All Chatham Fire Department members are cross trained as firefighters and emergency medical personnel. The station on Depot Road is staffed 24/7 and people will sometimes stop by for an assessment or first aid. McGrath noted that people often minimize their concerns or delay and apologize "for the bother," but "we'd much rather you call and find out than wait and worry."

In addition, several dozen people in Chatham, usually those who live alone or are disabled, have signed up for the police department’s daily reassurance check in. Each morning participants phone the police to check in. If they haven’t called in by 10 a.m., they receive a call and if there is no answer a visit will be made to the house. If the door isn't answered, an officer will enter the house or possibly call EMS to assist if necessary.

More information is available by calling the police or fire departments. The non-emergency number for the Chatham Fire Department is 508-945-2324, for Chatham Police it is 508-945-1213.

"We are always happy to answer any questions from our residents!" McGrath said.