In the near future, should an EMS worker reach into your fridge, he or she may not be looking for a cool refreshment, but rather a condensed version of your medical history.
Thanks to a program known as the “Vial of Life”, ambulance and emergency workers will have a leg up on your diagnosis, even if you aren’t able to tell them details.
Members of Slave Lake Air/Ground Ambulance services demonstrated the concept on June 3, at the Friendship Centre’s Strawberry Tea get-together.
It works like this: users are provided with a plastic “vial”, an information sheet and two stickers. Place on sticker on the outside of the main entrance to your home. Place the second sticker on your freezer door. Place all of your pertinent medical information (including conditions, medications and dosages, allergies and contact information) on the information sheet provided. Place the sheet inside of the vial, and place the vial inside of your freezer.
Should emergency responders arrive at your home, they will know by the outside sticker that important information can be found in the family freezer. In case there is more than one ice box, one attendee will head straight to the unit with the sticker on the door. The implications of this system, and its simplicity, say EMS workers, might just save lives.
“If you are unconscious or unable to describe your situation; or if you had an allergy or reaction to certain medications. An EMS worker can find this all out in a glance,” said Michelle Coolan, a local ambulance worker demonstrating the system at the Native Friendship Centre. “Or parents that might be near shock or panicking about a child who needs help. They are sometimes unable to properly describe a situation to us. All we have to do is look in the freezer for this information.”
Local ambulance worker Sarah Donnan championed the idea for this locale, but variations of the program are being employed in many areas. “It’s everywhere in the States,” said Donnan. “I first heard about it a few years ago, while on a ride-along in Leduc. We decided to apply to the Alberta government for a grant, which took a lot of work, but we got it!”
From there, Donnan says she sourced out a lot of the parts of the kit, such as the plastic vial, the printing of stickers and more, finally completing a whole bunch of the life saving bottles. They have just begun distributing the bottles in town and hope to infiltrate the freezers of even the seniors facilities soon. By the way, the system works equally well on a car window and glove box, says Donnan, and could come in handy if you end up in the rhubarb.
The group has made 600 of the bottles so far, and distributed a good handful already.
Donnan says you can get as many of the vials of life as you need, or request a demonstration (and even a blood pressure clinic) simply by calling Slave Lake Air/Ground Ambulance at 780-849-4977. Of course, if you need emergency assistance, call 911.

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