Columbus Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Duane Hughes remembers a specific emergency situation when more information would have been useful.
CFR firefighters were called out to a car wreck. When they arrived, they found a man had veered off the road. They concluded, based on the scent of alcohol, the unresponsive man was drunk.
The man was actually diabetic, Hughes said.
“His blood sugar had gotten low,” he said. “Sometimes in those situations the body emits a scent that is very similar to alcohol. He was unable to relay the information (that he was diabetic).”
Problems such as that happen pretty frequently, said Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins. The sheriff’s office is launching a new program, Early Alert, as a solution.
Participants in the program fill out a card that details existing medical conditions, allergies, their blood type and other details, as well as contact information for family members or next of kin. A decal on the back of the vehicle tells responders that the driver has medical issues they need to be aware of, and they know to look for the card.
That way, even if the patient is unconscious or unresponsive, responders can quickly get pertinent details and eliminate confusion, Hawkins said.
“That gives us a heads-up so we can treat their medical needs faster,” Hawkins said.
Madison Guyton, the director of ambulance services at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, said he thought the program was a “really good idea.”
“If you’re unresponsive, you can’t tell us about a medical allergy,” he said. “The last thing we want to do is give you something you’re allergic to and complicate the situation.”
Participating in the program will help first responders streamline the process and save valuable time, said Lowndes County Fire Coordinator Neal Austin.
“When we get on scene and the patient is unconscious, we have to do head-to-toe examinations to triage them,” Austin said. “It’s especially helpful in diabetic emergencies, when they have low blood sugar or they are presenting with a mental issue. If we can determine it’s diabetic, we can start looking in that direction.
“They may eventually come around at the hospital, but it’s the length of time we’re trying to cut down,” he added.
Hawkins said this program is the first of its kind in Lowndes County, and he believes is unique in the area.
“This has been in the works for about six months now,” he said. “We’ve been doing research to come up with new and inventive services, and this is one of the ideas we came up with.”
The program is free, and people can participate by coming by the sheriff’s office at 527 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to pick up a decal and information card.
“We’ll also have a booth at the air show at Columbus Air Force Base this weekend,” Hawkins said. “After that, just come by the sheriff’s office.”
Hughes said the program will also help responders get contact information faster.
“Another situation that comes about quite often is that people keep their emergency contacts inside their smartphone,” he said. “There have been incidents where because of high emotions or injuries, people couldn’t access their phone or help us get that information.”
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