The Burleson Fire Department is rolling out a program it thinks will save lives, especially those with special needs.
The Special Needs Assistance Program is a voluntary database of people with special needs within the community.
“It’s a great benefit for us. What it does is allows us to know specifically in our community the individual or individuals with special needs,” Chief KT Freeman said. “So, when an emergency comes in it is in our database.”
Freeman said the database will save time for first responders, thus saving lives. When there is an emergency, a dispatcher can give the information about the special need to the emergency teams while they are still en route.
“We would know specifically who that person was, what their situation was, where they are in that home and where seconds count that may make the difference between life and death,” Freeman said.
Residents are asked to join the database on the City of Burleson website.
Freeman said many conditions would be considered a special need.
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“People that are non-ambulatory; meaning they have a mobility issue. We have a lot of people on oxygen,” Freeman said. “There’s a lot of people, as the baby boomers are getting older, [with] some cognitive issues.”
For example, a dispatcher could tell a first responder crew, “John Doe has dementia. He may need extra care.” Or in a fire, “Jane Doe is bedridden. She can usually be found in the back bedroom of the house.”
Dispatchers can also give tips like, “Jack Doe is 10-years-old and has autism. He doesn’t work well with loud noises.” Firefighters would know how to help the child to safety and not scare him.
"It's critical. There's no substitute for it. In a fire and in an emergency situation; seconds [and] minutes count and it's invaluable,” Freeman said. “[It is helpful] if we have this information at our fingertips for our crews to prepare strategically where to go and what the situation is that they will be facing."
The database can also be beneficial during a disaster situation such as a large North Texas storm. First responders would know there hasn’t been power in an area for a while and someone in the database uses oxygen and may need a generator.
The Burleson Fire Department is also looking toward the future to take the program to the next level.
“We are going to ask our citizens to contact us and allow us to go into their home and look into their home and determine if there is a way we can enhance their safety,” Freeman said.
Freeman said the department could then help make specialized fire and emergency plans for specific special needs in a home.
There are SNAP databases in several cities in 16 North and Central Texas counties.
Find SNAP in your city: Special Needs Assistance Program
