Panama City’s Women’s Club is teaming up with local law enforcement agencies to help pay special attention to kids involved in an accident. it’s a car seat safety program that lets first emergency responders know more about the child they’re rescuing.
The W.H.A.L.E effort
Stephanie Cantrell has been trying for years to start a program focusing on keeping kids safer in accidents. She’s the chair of the effort through the city’s women’s club.
“I actually had a granddaughter that has type 1 diabetes, and I was always worried about taking her around in the car with me, because if something had happened, no one would really know what her medical problems were.”
Cantrell has started a program known by the acronym WHALE, which stands for “We Have A Little Emergency.” The program gives out stickers offering emergency responders information they might need to help a child who’s been in an accident, including special medical conditions and next of kin information.
Cantrell says emergency responders in the Bay County area will now be trained to look for these stickers when they arrive on the scene.
“So, with the sticker on the back of the car seat, and plus a sticker on each side of the car seat that has a WHALE emblem, and a sticker on each side of the back windows of the car, emergency personnel will know right away. And, it’s good for them because the kids are going to be scared if there’s a crash or something, and if emergency personnel can call them by name and know who to contact, it makes a huge difference.”
How's it working in other areas?
Only a few places in Florida have the program, including St. Johns County.
“Certainly our firemen, our paramedics, police officers are familiar with the program, but no parent should ever rely on a sticker that law enforcement or firemen will absolutely see it because they’re generally looking at the immediate response for those involved in the crash, and so, while the sticker may be found moments later, our first responders are first and foremost responsive to the immediate care of our patients and of course there’s time to run back information if we need it,” said St. John's County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Chuck Mulligan.
Still, he says while he doesn’t know of any success stories, that doesn’t mean the program hasn’t helped.
“Coming from a crime prevention background, I will tell you that any step regardless of a program that you can take that gives you one extra layer of added protection for you and your family, you should take it—certainly that applies in this case as well. And, that’s posting critical information that’s critical for law enforcement should we need it in the time of a crisis,” added Mulligan.
Meanwhile, Cantrell says interested parents can obtain WHALE sticker kits at their local fire stations. She adds the Panama City Women’s Club is visiting schools and parks in October to educate parents about the program. Cantrell says her hope is to get the WHALE program to expand across the state.
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