Our firefighters and paramedics are put through the rigors of daily training to keep their skills honed for the job.

However, there are some obstacles to emergency care that our residents unknowingly cause. I polled members of the department and asked them what they thought our residents do (or don’t do) that make responding to medical and fire calls more difficult. 

Have a Visible Address

Overwhelmingly, this was the most common response. Try finding a two-inch high house address written in script on a flower box at 2 a.m., in the dark, hidden by trees.

In accordance with the Downers Grove Property Maintenance Code “buildings shall have approved address numbers placed in a position to be plainly legible and visible from the street or road fronting the property. These numbers shall contrast with their background. Address numbers shall be Arabic numerals or alphabet letters. Numbers shall be a minimum of four inches (102 mm) high with a minimum stroke width of 0.5 inch (12.7 mm).”

One of the best suggestions I heard was to have residents step out to the curb and see if they can easily read their address from the street in the dark.

Know your family members’ medical histories

When paramedics respond to an ambulance call, it is often like trying to play detective to figure out what the patient’s ailment is and how to treat it.

A very important piece of this puzzle is to find out about the patient’s medical history, including the medications they take. The File of Life is a packet residents can fill out with all of this information, including emergency contacts, physicians’ telephone numbers and other pertinent data.

The magnetic, red plastic sleeve goes on the front of the refrigerator and can be obtained for $1 at the fire department, Good Samaritan’s Senior Advocate office or the Downers Grove Township Office.

Don't wait too long before calling

Paramedics report that many cardiac complications could be avoided if people would only call 9-1-1 before their symptoms progressed to advanced stages.

Know your own body, your medical history and be aware of the early signs and symptoms of heart attacks and serious respiratory problems.

Go to the right for sirens and lights

It seems to me that we all learned this lesson even before we tested for our driver’s license.

How is it then, that we see so many drivers ignoring those flashing red lights and sirens? What proves even more frustrating is the driver who hears the sirens and stops right in the middle of the road. Emergency vehicle drivers must then drive in the lane of oncoming traffic or slow down to figure out a safe way around the obstacle. The right thing to do is to slowly maneuver your car into the right lane and stop.

On behalf of the emergency responders I work with everyday, I thank you for considering these simple tips for your own safety, as well as that of our personnel.