File of Life and Yellow Alert: Life Saving Tools in an Emergency

Have you ever worried what would happen to you if you were in an accident (not your fault of course) and were unable to communicate with emergency responders?  Do you have loved one who would be worried about you?  Or a medical condition that medical personnel might need to know about?  Or do you pick your daughter's children up from school during the school year/  How horrible would it be if your grandchildren were waiting on the front steps of their school and no one came to pick them up?  Most horrible secondary situations arising from you being hit by another car or having a medical emergency while driving can be avoided.  How?  By having either a File of Life in your wallet or keeping a Yellow Alert Form in your glove box if you live in Burlington.

File of Life

With the File of Life you can keep a copy on your fridge and in your wallet.  It has all the pertinent information including medical condition, medications and emergency contacts.  If you are walking around away from home and something happens having the File of Life in your wallet can be incredibly helpful especially if you are alone, but even if you are with a loved one, when something happens important information can be difficult for your loved ones to remember.  My daughter is allergic to amoxycillin;  it has no bearing on our everyday lives so when she's hurt or sick do you think I can remember this particular allergy?  Not for the life of me.  Fortunately she does, but what if she can't speak for herself?

Same thing if you're at home.  If something happens to you all the information is in one place and emergency responders don't have to go all over your house trying to find perscription bottles and emergency contact information.  It's right on your fridge, which is the first place they'll go to look for information about you.  They'll copy all the information down and put it back right where they found it and when you get to the hospital they'll give it to the folks there.

Yellow Alert

Yellow Alert works much the same way as the File of Life, but it has a few extra bells and whistles which makes it worth having in conjunction with the File of Life.  First, it comes with a decal for your car in yellow so it's easy to find.  You put the form, which is also yellow, in your glove compartment.  The yellow decal will let the emergency responders know that the form is there.  There is room on the form for your usual information such as doctor, emergency contact, medical conditions, allergies and medications, but it also includes space for your medical and car insurance information.  The best part in my view is that it also asks if you are a caregiver, if you pick someone up from school, daycare etc. and if you have a pet at home.  The last few may not be medically necessary but they mean you can put your mind to rest that the police will make sure your loved ones are taken care of.

Although meant for the elderly if you have an illness or disability Yellow Alert or the File of Life can really make a difference.  You can pick up a File of Life at the at 45 Center Street and the Yellow Alert at the Burlington Council on Aging at 61 Center St.