Lawrence County’s emergency services will partner with Wal-Mart this month to hand out free Vials of Life, said Don Mootz, 911/EMA director.

Friday, October 06, 2000

Lawrence County’s emergency services will partner with Wal-Mart this month to hand out free Vials of Life, said Don Mootz, 911/EMA director.

The vials, like bottles with a medical sticker, allow people to put their medical information – like allergies, a regular medication list and recurring ailments – inside in case of an emergency, Mootz told county commissioners Thursday.

Wal-Mart in Burlington has 30,000 vials to give away at its pharmacy beginning Oct. 16. County emergency officials and other volunteers will help handout the lifesaving devices, he said.

"You don’t think about it but a lot of times, you’re not coherent or able to communicate when the ambulance shows up," Mootz said.

The vials, designed to be kept in the refrigerator and car, will give emergency medical personnel information about patients, he said.

If someone is unconscious in a car wreck, it would be a tremendous asset to EMTs, he added.

Also Thursday, commissioners:

– Voted to continue a workplace safety program the board began this summer when it hired consultant Bruce Harbour.

The program targets the county’s high number of workplace accidents, which has led to high worker’s compensation costs, commissioners said.

If the program is not continued, the county will lose its group rating, commission president Bruce Trent said.

The commission voted to keep the program until Dec. 31 or until the amount of funding originally set aside – $10,000 – is exhausted.

– Sent a letter to the Lawrence County Firefighters Association, notifying them of the emergency planning committee’s $1,100 fire training grant. There have been no applications this year for the funding.