By Dana Wilson
The Columbus Dispatch
LIBERTY TWP., Ohio —Beth Haner dialed 911 several years ago when her son was having uncontrollable seizures because of a rare form of epilepsy.
Paramedics arrived within minutes. They ran upstairs to his bedroom and quickly treated him. One of the emergency workers told Mrs. Haner later that he had studied the boy’s condition for two years.
“It made me feel good,” she said. “What a relief that is.”
That the paramedic was familiar with the boy’s condition wasn’t luck. His family was the first to sign up for a special-needs registry at the Liberty Township Fire Department in southern Delaware County.
Liberty Township’s registry, which began in 2005, has been expanded countywide. Delaware County now offers residents with disabilities or chronic health conditions more-personalized treatment during emergencies.
A database lists the names and addresses of people who require special assistance. Registration is voluntary, and personal information is protected by medical privacy laws and shared only with emergency workers, said Capt. Bill Piwtorak of the Liberty Township Fire Department.
Firefighters and paramedics had visited with the Haners long before their emergency to gather information about their son.
“There’s always a heightened state of readiness when it comes to a child,” Mrs. Haner said.
“If you’re prepared ahead of time, you have better confidence of knowing it’s going to turn out right.”
Emergency-management agencies in at least two other central Ohio counties, Fairfield and Marion, are developing similar registries.
In Delaware County, each registrant’s address is added to a computer-aided dispatching system, and an alert pops up when a 911 call is made from their home. The system allows emergency workers to tailor their response.
“They’re learning about their community, and it’s more specific to what they’ll be exposed to,” Piwtorak said.
Twenty-seven Liberty Township residents are listed. About a dozen more county residents have been added since the registry went countywide in February.
The service is designed for people of all ages, particularly those with physical or mental disabilities or chronic medical conditions. It’s also helpful for people with vision, hearing or speech impairments or who speak little or no English.
The database also could be used during a flood, power outage or other large-scale disaster, said Brian Galligher, county Emergency Management Agency director.
“Think about New Orleans and if they would’ve had something like this” before Hurricane Katrina hit, Galligher said. “Any EMA director in the state would love to have this.”
Delaware County’s registry is worth studying, said Mark Anthony, spokesman for the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency. “In doing that, we’ve got to consider the differences between the two counties,” Anthony said. “We’ve got a larger population and jurisdiction.”
Franklin County EMA officials are developing a plan to locate residents who have special needs during disasters, but the concept has not been shared yet with emergency workers.
The Licking County Emergency Management Agency established a special-needs registry after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack and encouraged more people to sign up after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, said Jeff Walker, agency director. His office has registered about 1,000 people.
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