Headlines
As reported by WFSB Channel 3, July 9, 2008.
WHALE Stickers Hold Key to Child Safety
Stickers Carry Vital Info On Children For Emergency Responders
FARMINGTON, Conn. -- The University of Connecticut Health Center Auxiliary is now providing safety kits to its youngest patients and their parents, said auxiliary representative Irene Engel.
We Have a Little Emergency (WHALE) is meant to signal to emergency crews responding to an accident that a baby is on board, she said. Important health and identification information about that baby can be found on stickers affixed to the child's car seat, she said.
"We decided that any child or infant who left our institution should have the sticker seals on their car,” said Engel. “It's been very, very well-received."
The kit consists of four checkmark stickers, said Engel. Two are put in a visible spot on the car seat itself, she said, and one goes in the rear window. The fourth goes in a side window, she said.
The sticker provides the child's name, address and other contact information, she said, as well as any medical conditions. That's important, especially if the parent is hurt.
"The information is important because, obviously, a pediatric patient wouldn't have the same ability as an adult to communicate with the first responder to tell them what their injury or their illness is, where they hurt, or just for that matter, even just their basic information about who they are and their parents,” said UConn Health Center Fire Department Capt. Greg Priest.
The WHALE program is being used in 35 states, said Engel. UConn is hoping to make it a standard in Connecticut, she said.
"We are out into 53 towns as of this moment," she said.
For more information about getting the WHALE stickers, visit the WHALE program website.