COMPUTER PRINTOUTS REPLACE WINDOW DECALS
RESCUE/EMS
It seemed like a good idea, years ago, when colorful decals were proposed for the windows of children and handicapped persons as a way of directing fire fighters to high-priority locations for rescue during a fire. In practice, the idea did not always work as expected. In Marlton, N.J., we think we have a better idea born of the computer age.
Until recent years, Marlton Fire Company No. 1 was just another fire company in a rural community. Then things started to change rapidly as decaying cities emptied into our rural area and we found ourselves growing by leaps and bounds.
The more alarming change was the increase in windows plastered with handicapped and tot-finder decals. When homes were sold, the new owners left obsolete decals in place and added decals to other windows. Some of the homes looked like children’s shelters or nursing homes with their abundance of decals. In some homes, we found decals on attic, basement, bathroom and closet doors. It began to look as though we would have to call out half of our county’s 70 fire companies if we were to search every marked life-hazard area with the initial response.
The blatant misuse of decals made the legitimate use of them ineffective and we were forced to abandon the decal program. We made systematic searches of homes when we arrived on the fireground unless information from those who had fled the building warranted searching a specific area first. Actually, this made it easier to prepare our standard operating procedures. We can now conduct an orderly search in a more logical manner every time.
The savings resulting from abandoning the decal program let us use the money for more fruitful fire prevention programs. Most of the money was used to buy audio-visual programs, which we believe residents remember longer than a decal that is put on a window and soon forgotten.
However, the problem of identifying the location of handicapped residents remained. Once again, we found that decals weren’t the answer for us. Most of these people refused to use decals because they feared being marked as easy prey for criminals.
Today’s technology provided our answer — computerization.
The Burlington County Public Safety Center, which dispatches our company, uses a computer-assisted dispatch system based on a grid concept of defined geographical areas. Therefore, we can enter into the computer names and addresses for each grid, and thus make possible our new way of identifying the location of handicapped persons.
Our company’s plan for handicapped persons consists first of visiting each person. We discuss their disability, explain the need for smoke and heat detectors, describe their required maintenance, and help the individual prepare a workable EDITH plan tailored to their degree of mobility.
Their homes and addresses are then entered in the county computer by grid. Upon the receipt of a fire alarm, the names of all handicapped persons in the grid where fire has occurred can be flashed on the screen by the dispatcher. If one of the addresses of handicapped persons is the reported site of the alarm, the dispatcher immediately radios the information to the responsible senior officer.
We will visit each handicapped person every six months to update our computerized information. As we get information of other handicapped persons by word of mouth or from local schools, physicians, hospitals, county health services, or our local first aid squad, an officer and a fire fighter will visit each person within 48 hours to explain the benefits of our program and invite them to join it.
The only cost for this project is a little time, gasoline and paperwork – which is a pretty inexpensive way to provide a specialized life protection service.
