A small sticker can make a huge difference in saving the lives of children. Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center (EMRMC) and Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital (EMFLH) are launching a new program that can help emergency responders save children’s lives if they are in a motor vehicle accident.
W.H.A.L.E. (We Have A Little Emergency) is an education and identification program for parents who have children in car seats. W.H.A.L.E. provides first responders vital information about your child, resulting in a more efficient rescue effort. In the event of an automobile accident that incapacitates the adult driver and passengers, rescue personnel can have a difficult time identifying children riding in car seats. In these cases, W.H.A.L.E. can make a significant difference.
Most laws require that all children must be seated and harnessed in an approved child safety seat when riding in a car. Now, that same safety seat can provide vital information about its young occupant in the unfortunate event of an automobile accident.
W.H.A.L.E. stickers are placed on both rear side windows of the car and on both sides of the child safety seat so that emergency personnel will know immediately that there is vital information pertaining to the child on the back of the car seat. The W.H.A.L.E. sticker is placed out of site on the back of the seat and contains the child’s name, medical history, names and telephone numbers of two guardians and another emergency contact name and telephone number.
The W.H.A.L.E. program is completely free. W.H.A.L.E. kits will be distributed to all new parents who deliver their baby at EMRMC or EMFLH and to any children who come into either Emergency Department. Anyone who is not a patient and is interested in obtaining a W.H.A.L.E. kit can pick one up at the information desk at either hospital or the Danville Fire Department, located on Main Street.
