By Sandra Bradley
The Union Leader
HOOKSETT, N.H. — The town is being commended for assuring emergency personnel are aware of residents’ special medical needs, especially during a crisis.
After the October snowstorm knocked out power in the region, the Emergency Management Department decided to put a system in place so residents who require electricity for medical reasons can be reached quickly, Assistant Fire Chief Dean Jore said.
Jore said the department created an in-depth form that residents can fill out and return to the fire department so responders will be alerted to any special circumstances before arriving on scene. The form can be downloaded from www.hooksettfire.org. The added preparedness, he said, will be essential when medical attention is needed when there is no power.
“It’s been kind of a continual concern, so I think we just said we need to do something about this,” Jore said. “So we thought, ‘Let’s step up and identify where these needs are and do something for them.’ ”
Since the program was established, the department has received a great deal of positive feedback. Town Administrator Dean Shankle said at last Wednesday’s town council meeting that he had received correspondence from the New England Heart Institute commending the department for establishing the program, and Town Councilor Todd Lizotte said he had heard similar sentiments from the Red Cross.
Jore said that in addition to the commendations the department has received from these organizations, there has also been a positive response from residents. He said that the support for the program just further demonstrates how important it is for the town.
A more than 20-year veteran of the Hooksett Fire Department, Jore said he has learned that working through a power outage is particularly challenging. The October snowstorm made the department realize that when residents cannot call into the department and something is wrong, a method of providing help needs to be available.
Jore said he has not seen many other similar systems in the area, but the Hooksett department did receive some input from Bow’s emergency personnel in developing it.
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