Camano Islanders can get kit that stores vital medical info

CAMANO ISLAND — Retired Boeing worker Barbara Libby has lived on Camano Island for 20 years. In that time, she’s collected plenty of keys from her neighbors.

“We’re fairly rural, so we do trade house keys a lot,” she said.

Neighbors are supposed to help each other during emergencies. Libby realized if something terrible happened, she wouldn’t know her neighbors’ allergies and medications, or how to contact their doctors or families. It dawned on her that the fire department must face the same issue every day.

So she did some research. Her initiative has sparked a new community safety program at Camano Island Fire and Rescue. People who live on the island now can get a free kit to keep emergency medical information handy in their home.

To participate, they fill out the provided forms, then stick them into a handy cardboard tube. The kits were designed to stay in the refrigerator, where they’re easy to find and still out of the way.

“You can stand it up where the ketchup goes,” Libby said.

All first responders on the island know to look for a sticker near the front door that signifies there’s a kit in the house.

She and her friend, Karen Gates, both are members in a fire department ladies auxiliary group. They created the form together, adding a category for pets. They considered online options and smartphone applications, but the island’s average residents are in their 50s.

“We really looked at what the community needed and what people needed,” Gates said.

Folks who sign up will be reminded to make plans for emergencies, including how others can contact relatives and care for pets, Libby said.

“If you haven’t had this conversation with anybody, this form should certainly prompt you,” she said.

The program is designed for everyone, whether it’s families who have babysitters or those facing end-of-life. “Do not resuscitate” orders, electrocardiogram charts and similar documents can go into the kit, Libby said.

Assistant Fire Chief Levon Yengoyan believes the kits will help firefighters and medics make lifesaving decisions. “It’s been a real community effort,” he said.

It is common for people suffering a medical problem to be unable to speak, and they often face a barrage of questions from those wanting to ease their pain, he said.

First responders need “anything that can help give us clues as to what may be wrong with you,” he said.

Libby and Gates helped raise $2,000 for the program from community groups and the firefighters union. The fire department is matching the donations. Two distribution events are planned later this month. Each kit cost less than $1 to put together, with volunteers hosting assembly work parties. They now have 4,000 kits ready to go, with the aim of reaching at least half the homes on the island, Yengoyan said.

The forms also will be posted online for printing. That should make it easier to file one in the kit for every family member.

Libby says her idea ended up being “doable almost at the ‘duh’ level.”

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.

Free kits

Camano Island Fire and Rescue plans two events to distribute free Emergency Medical Information kits for people who live on the island.

The events are planned from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at any fire station on the island. For more information, call 360-387-1512 or go to camanofire.com/resources/emi-program.

The kits are designed for families to keep important medical information in a safe place in case of emergencies. The kits should be updated at least once a year. The fire department recommends doing that around daylight saving time, which is also when you’re supposed to check your smoke alarms. The events are planned from noon to 4 p.m. May 14 and 15 at any fire station on the island. For more information, call 360-387-1512 or go to camanofire.com/resources/emi-program.

The kits are designed for families to keep important medical information in a safe place in case of emergencies. The kits should be updated at least once a year. The fire department recommends doing that around daylight-saving time, which is also when you’re supposed to check your smoke alarms.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Everett mall renderings from Brixton Capital. (Photo provided by the City of Everett)
Topgolf at the Everett Mall? Mayor’s hint still unconfirmed

After Cassie Franklin’s annual address, rumors circled about what “top” entertainment tenant could be landing at Everett Mall.

Everett
Everett man sentenced to 3 years of probation for mutilating animals

In 2022, neighbors reported Blayne Perez, 35, was shooting and torturing wildlife in north Everett.

Dorothy Crossman rides up on her bike to turn in her ballot  on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett leaders plan to ask voters for property tax increase

City officials will spend weeks hammering out details of a ballot measure, as Everett faces a $12.6 million deficit.

Starbucks employee Zach Gabelein outside of the Mill Creek location where he works on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mill Creek Starbucks votes 21-1 to form union

“We obviously are kind of on the high of that win,” store bargaining delegate Zach Gabelein said.

Lynnwood police respond to a collision on highway 99 at 176 street SW. (Photo provided by Lynnwood Police)
Police: Teen in stolen car flees cops, causes crash in Lynnwood

The crash blocked traffic for over an hour at 176th Street SW. The boy, 16, was arrested on felony warrants.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett to welcome new CEO

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.