First responders and law enforcement officers do their duty to keep us safe and protected and citizens have a chance to aid them in their efforts. McMinnville Police Department held a Yellow Dot program at Beersheba Heights Tower on Monday. The program helps ensure those who are seriously injured in wrecks get the best care possible.
Beersheba Heights Tower Service Coordinator Dericka Gunter spent the afternoon helping residents and visitors of all ages fill out their Yellow Dot paperwork. She shared her thoughts on the importance of the program, saying, “The Yellow Dot program is a way for first responders and emergency officials to know about you without you having to tell anyone. So, say you were in an accident that rendered you unconscious, they would be able to look into the glovebox and open up your pamphlet to see if you are diabetic, have heart conditions or anything else.”
Upon participants finishing their paperwork, a yellow, circular sticker is placed on the back glass of their vehicle which indicates that their glovebox needs to be checked for their paperwork if involved in a wreck. “It saves them lots of time and effort, and assists them to be able to respond accurately,” said Gunter. “It is definitely super important for elderly individuals who may have a lot of conditions,” she said. “It could mean the difference between life and death. If you are allergic to certain medications, it would be in there and make all the difference.”
“We are also working out a system where those who want to participate could have their paperwork in their apartments,” she said. “Just in case emergency services need to respond, they will have that accessible to them.”
MPD Officer Mark Mara said MPD was fascinated with the program as soon as they had heard about it. “We were sold on this program a few years back,” said Mara, “and the reason why is because we have had really bad crashes. The person in the vehicle, sometimes, we didn’t know who they were. We didn’t know what was going on with them medically and we didn’t know who to contact for them. So this person gets a life flight out to Chattanooga or Nashville and with no access to their phone, we have no clue who they are or who to contact on their behalf. So that is what sold us on this program.”
Mara noted the program helps first responders assist those who are in need of immediate medical attention more efficiently. “It’s a life-saving tool. Seconds matter in those instances. The more information we have from somebody such as if they’re diabetic, or if they have heart conditions or if they are allergic to certain medications; they’re not going to know. EMS isn’t going to know. The workers in the ambulance aren’t going to know. Life Flight is not going to know. No one is going to know that right away, so that is when this program helps. That is why we are so big in it. We have done events all across this community every year since we started it.”
