Pickerington’s police and fire departments respond to problems, sure, but they both have programs designed to prevent disasters before they even start.
Home and Away
If you’re leaving town for a little while and want to make sure your house will stay exactly the same as you left it, you can ring up the Pickerington Police Department and ask that they check up on it every so often.
At least once per day, officers on duty can swing by a person’s home and make sure nothing is out of order. A form, available online, can be filled out with information such as who is a designated keyholder, which lights should be on and which cars should be in the driveway. If anything is found amiss, officers will notify the resident and keyholder so the problem can be dealt with as soon as possible.
This service can be stretched over almost any amount of time.
“It can be for just a few days, a week or two, or for the snowbirds who are gone for several winter months,” says police Communications Supervisor Carolyn Sharp.
The Children Home Alone Program, also known as CHAP, is another service police offer. Started in 2011, the program helps parents who can’t be home monitor their kids when school is out.
“We noticed that, in the summer months, when kids are out of school, there might be a house in the neighborhood where everyone goes to hang out or party,” says Operations Commander Matt Delp.
“If parents want us to make sure that their kid isn’t having anyone over, we can keep an eye out so that house doesn’t cause other problems for the neighborhood.”
Early Detection
Another program dedicated to helping people in the community is still in the works. The Violet Township Fire Department is moving to legally instate a community paramedicine program.
The program seeks to expand the role of EMS personnel to adapt to the specific needs and resources of the community. It would install a cache of community paramedics who can respond to the needs of citizens who may have less dire medical situations than would require a paramedic, as well as address some of their other needs.
“It would work like a bridge between the hospital, hospice and home health,” says Fire Chief Mike Little.
For example, if the paramedics would go out on a run and come across a resident who has been tagged for chronic issues or frequent ER trips, that person can get medical attention that could prevent future incidents. This could come in the form of a routine checkup at the doctor’s office or refilling the person’s medications. Family members would also be alerted so that a careful eye can be kept on the patient.
Community paramedicine has already been instituted in cities in Minnesota, Texas and Arizona, where residents are spread out across vast stretches of land and medical response to an emergency might not come quickly enough. The community paramedicine program would work as a preventive measure to catch possible medical issues before they have a chance to occur.
Kyle Banfill is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at ssole@cityscenemediagroup.com.
