10/10/2007 10:17:00 PM Green sticker could save a child's life
Prescott Mayor Rowle Simmons and Central Yavapai Fire District Chief Parrish stand with 19-month-old Amry Soriano, the unofficial model “tyke” for the TIKE information sticker. The sticker, when placed on the back or bottom of car seats, will give emergency personnel important information in case a driver is unconscious after an accident.
by Heidi Dahms Foster
Special to the Courier
You faithfully buckle your toddler into a car seat each time you put him or her in the car.
But what happens if an accident knocks you unconscious? How will emergency workers know about allergy information, or who to call for permission for treatment, should your child need it?
Emergency agencies throughout the area have the answer. They will begin distributing a bright green sticker, called Toddler Information Kept for Emergencies, for parents to place on the back or bottom of their child's car seat.
This bilingual sticker will have the child's name, parents' names, contact numbers and other emergency information.
According to program information, the National Association of Insurance Women International started TIKE after an incident in which a six-month-old boy traveling with a relative suffered a life-threatening head injury requiring emergency surgery. Because the driver was unconscious, police had no information on the child and identified his parents only because they found an address book in the wreckage. The child fully recovered, but the accident convinced emergency personnel of the need for quick information in an emergency.
Central Yavapai Fire District Engineer Scott Moore, who has three grandchildren, heard about the program and mentioned it to Arizona Rep. Andrew Tobin, R-Paulden. He took the idea to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. The company will produce the program in Arizona as a public service. The Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona, the Ambulance Association and Phoenix Air Evac Services are helping distribute the stickers throughout the state. The agencies will provide stickers and information to emergency and childcare agencies, hospitals and doctors.
Tim Freund of Phoenix Air Evac Services, who presented the program to area agencies at the CYFD station on Yavapai Road in Prescott Valley Wednesday, said the program has spread to seven states now, and he hopes to see it in all 50.
To get a TIKE sticker, call Central Yavapai Fire District, (928) 772-7711; Chino Valley Fire District, (928) 636-2442; Prescott Fire Dept., (928) 777-1760; or LifeLine Ambulance, (928) 445-3814.
