Fairfax County Fire and Rescue will launch its second community outreach initiative branded "Wellness In Our Community" (WIOC), in support of "preventing the 9-1-1 call," Wednesday, April 2, 2104, at 11:30 a.m. Fire Chief Richard Bowers and county officials will kick off the initiative at Fire and Rescue Station 40, Fairfax Center, 4621 Legato Road, Fairfax, Virginia.
The program aims to save lives and improve the overall quality of life of all residents, but is intended to focus on taking care of seniors and older adults. The FILE OF LIFE, a mini-medical history that is posted on a refrigerator or in a nearby visible area, is designed to better assist first responders during a medical emergency. The form enables first responders to obtain a quick medical history when the patient is unable to offer one.
Firefighters and paramedics will seek out and provide presentations to older adults at senior centers and assisted living facilities. Firefighters want residents to fill out and use the FILE OF LIFE in their every-day lives.
The form is kept in a red plastic pocket labeled FILE OF LIFE; lists the patient's name, emergency medical contact, medical history, medications, allergies, and other vital information. Firefighters started to push out to the community the FILE OF LIFE program on March 1, 2014, in conjunction with the Safety In Our Community (SIOC) initiative that started in June of 2013.
The WIOC initiative builds on and supplements the SIOC initiative (providing working smoke alarms, home safety surveys, and seasonal fire and life safety information). The WIOC initiative aims to deliver safety in the community, and overall community wellness to residents. Door hangers with SIOC and WIOC contact information are left behind when residents are not at home.
Additional FILE OF LIFE forms can be downloaded at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr/educate/fileoflife.pdf.