La Pine FD offers winter safety, ‘Vial of Life’ tips
As the winter continues, the La Pine Rural Fire Protection District reminded the public Tuesday of a few important safety issues, including a potentially life-saving step you can take with a medication list, put in a vial placed in the refrigerator. .
Driveways, Address Signs, and Fire Hydrants. With the significant amount of snow received this winter we like to remind people to clear away snow from their driveways, address signs and any nearby fire hydrant. High snow berms can block emergency responder’s view of address signs delaying crews from reaching and helping people in their time of need.
Also clearing the snow from around your nearby fire hydrant will help fire crews immensely. Driveways and Lanes need to be cleared. Even packed snow, although drivable when cold, will just turn into unpassable ice then slush as the season progresses.
Firefighters would also like to encourage anyone with an elderly or disabled neighbor to help clear their driveway and address signs as well. These folks are often the ones that are in need of emergency assistance. La Pine Firefighters are very thankful that we work in a community that is always willing to help a neighbor in need.
If you don’t have an address sign, you can order one from either the Fire District’s Administration office at 51590 Huntington Road, La Pine, OR, or at Station 102 at 55785 South Century Drive near Sunriver during normal business hours (8-5).
Vial of Life Program. The vial of life program is a national program that encourages anyone with a potential medical need to put their medical information in an easy to find location -a simple vial in the refrigerator where first responders are trained to look.
The Vial of Life consists of a premade list that is simply filled out prior to an emergency and placed in the refrigerator or freezer. A sticker is then placed on the door of the refrigerator, alerting crews to the presence of the Vial of Life. The Vials of Life are free and can be picked up at our Administration office at 51590 Huntington Road, La Pine, OR, or our Station 102 at 55785 South Century Drive near Sunriver during normal business hours (8-5), or the Lions Club of La Pine.
As we age and our health declines, the amount of medications that we are prescribed can become numerous. Also in an emergency situation the patient sometimes cannot communicate. It can be critically important that emergency crews know your medical history and medications you are taking. Putting together a simple list all of your medical history and current medications into one easy to find list can provide emergency crews with lifesaving information.
