Vial of Life Program - Corona Fire Department, CA

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Vial of Life programs are available across the United States to any fire department. The word "Life" in "Vial of Life" stands for:

L - Lifesaving
I - Information
F - For
E - Emergencies

In Corona, California, a bottle that has a patient's medical information is to be stored inside of the patient's refrigerator, along with a magnet that goes on the refrigerator door to alert firefighters.

When someone receives a Vial of Life, the first thing they must do is fill out the personal information sheet that includes their medical history, along with any medications that they are currently taking.

If an emergency were to occur at a residence with a Vial of Life, first responders will have access to immediate information on the patient to assist with their care. "It really enables my paramedics to focus on chief complaints and the patient and not having to deal with a whole lot of history," stated Fire Captain Fred Parr with the Corona Fire Department.

Although the program was initiated for seniors and people with medical conditions, Corona Fire uses it in a more widespread way. Captain Parr explained, "We really promote it as an overall disaster preparedness, emergency preparedness program. I have one at my house. My contact information is in there. I even have where my will is if anything catastrophic happened."

The contact information included in a Vial of Life would also be helpful to police if a break-in occurred while the homeowner was away. Parr claimed that Corona Fire's highest priority is to get people with medical problems to have a Vial of Life in their home, but that everybody benefits from having one.

Corona Fire partnered with the Corona Fire Safety Foundation, a non-profit group in their community, to help start the program. Since the programs beginning, they have brought two local hospitals, Corona Regional Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente, to sponsor and provide funding for the Vial of Life program.

With that assistance, Corona Fire & the Corona Fire Safety Foundation has been able to distribute 10,000 vials in the last 18 months using extremely few taxpayer dollars.

Captain Fred Parr has a committee of approximately eight people from the community that help him promote the Vial of Life program, along with support from doctor's offices and pharmacies. This assistance has broadened Corona Fire's service area to include the hospital service area and not just the city. "I would suggest every department to have one, number one, because I truly believe that it helps in the patient care," added Captain Parr.

For more information, please visit http://www.vialoflife.com/



Author:Barbara Brooks - Video, Renee Marquart - Text