If you live in Rochester and have a family member who has a tendency to wander, has a developmental or cognitive disability, with or without a speech impairment or is non-verbal, with the potential for requiring unique assistance in the event of an emergency, Rochester’s Chief Dispatcher Tracy Eldridge says she needs your assistance with establishing the town’s “Operation Special Alert” system.
Rochester residents with developmental and cognitive disabilities, and their parents and caregivers, will soon have a safeguard in place with first responders to ensure special accommodations can be provided during an emergency response situation. But before the voluntary program can be fully implemented, Eldridge is seeking input from parents and caregivers on what type of information to request on a standard form that residents will use to register with the program.
In addition to the basic demographic information, the goal of the program is to collect pertinent information about the resident that will help first responders endure the safety of the person in distress at the address.
For example, a child or an adult with autism living at a specific address may have sensory sensitivities to light or sound; knowing this will help emergency response staff react accordingly, perhaps by turning off sirens and lights before arrival. If the resident is also non-verbal or does not respond when their name is called, this vital information can assist first responders in ensuring the safety of the resident in the case of an emergency situation.
In addition to providing crucial information about the diagnosis and characteristics of the resident, any tendencies of wandering away from the home can be noted in the file so that if a wandering event should happen, emergency staff could find information on file about the topography of the land near the residence, any water sources nearby that may attract the child or adult that has gone missing, and any history of wandering by the person so police might know where to begin searching first.
“The fact that they wander, we want to know,” said Eldridge during a phone interview on May 2. “Are they attracted to water? It’s very important if we were to have a missing child and that child was a child with special needs … and not able to speak to us. If we call their name, are they going to respond to us?”
If a parent of an autistic child calls the communication center, Eldridge said, she wants that parent to know that dispatch has the important information on file that is needed in order to best inform the responders.
Back in March, Eldridge attended a training put on by the Massachusetts State Police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the nonprofit organization Autism Speaks that provided tools to implement a program such as Operation Special Alert within the community. Eldridge said a recent incident was the impetus to get the ball rolling with the program.
A caregiver had contacted the communication center in Rochester and asked if there was a way to flag their address as the home of someone who was cognitively impaired and non-verbal.
“Later, a silent 911 call was received, and it indicated a police and ambulance response based on the medical history of the home the person provided,” said Eldridge. The person made the call but could not speak, but the information about the residence popped up on the screen, and the information was transmitted to the emergency responders. “An appropriate dispatch was made and a true medical emergency was happening at the home,” said Eldridge. “It worked.”
This is the kind of response Eldridge said she hopes the Operation Special Alert will provide the town.
Eldridge is hoping that caregivers, specialists, or parents will contact her to join her for a meeting to gather input on what type of information the form should request.
“There’s things that I may not know or understand and they may be able to point me in the right direction,” said Eldridge.
She is shooting for the third week of May.
“Then I’m going to be putting together a training for both the police and emergency responders,” Eldridge said. Both the police and fire chiefs have been informed about the upcoming program Eldridge has been working on. “I find any type of training extremely valuable as the chief dispatcher. Anything that can help us … better serve the public. That’s just how I’ve always run my center.”
Those interested in contributing to the establishment of the Operation Special Alert form can contact Tracy Eldridge at TEldridge@townofrochester.com or call 508-763-5112 ext. 103.
Eldridge’s progress in establishing the program has been mentioned in the most recent blog on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website, where further information about the program can be found. Visit http://blog.missingkids.com.
By Jean Perry