Emergency Info Cards

[biggesto]

After a couple recent incidents where we had to scarmble to find emergency information for injured and/or deceased officers, we are trying to come up with emergency information that is carried with each officer. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I thought I'd see if anyone already has something they use. What all information do you include? Where does everyone carry so that it is easy to find? What type of material do you use so it stands up to wear and tear? All info is appreciated. Thanks

[USMARINE]

After a couple recent incidents where we had to scarmble to find emergency information for injured and/or deceased officers, we are trying to come up with emergency information that is carried with each officer. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I thought I'd see if anyone already has something they use. What all information do you include? Where does everyone carry so that it is easy to find? What type of material do you use so it stands up to wear and tear? All info is appreciated. Thanks

No need to carry that around, dispatch should handle that.

[Silk&Cyanide]

Each of our officers is required to carry an incident response card. It has the guidelines for establishing command on a major incident. It also has on it our name, badge#, blood type, allergies, emergency contact. Our supervisors also have that information in a file. It is a little cardboard thing that folds into small booklet that fits in a pocket.

[deputy x 2]

HR keeps it...............access to it is in the computer.

[Kieth M.]

I'm a guy, once part of a team who responded to, and handled the aftermath active duty and line-of-duty deaths. The problem with those cards was that they were often outdated. Cops get lazy, or complacent, and fail to keep them updated.

You could still call LAPD and ask for a scan copy of From 1.38. They were good, IF kept current.

Some of my experiences:

• One LODD cop never listed his father, as they were estranged and the dad lived in Mexico - He showed up asking why LAPD was not showing him any consideration....Spanish-speaking media flap ensued.
• One off-duty death cop had a whole other secret family...never listed them. DNA proved he was dad to two other kids. His wife, killed in the same incident, knew but accepted it - so why wasn't it listed? Several hoops had to be jumped through to get the kids their benefits.

The LAPD Form 1.38 even had a space for instructions regarding what or who should assist families in the aftermath of on employee's death. Many (like me) used it to exclude certain people from getting involved - there were a few whom I did not trust to assist my family, should anything ever had happened to me. Their presence would have exceeded the USDA limits on audacity and BS.

One thing I always streesed to my classes, when speaking on 1.38 and other benefits was a frequest review. We had cases were cops dies and they had never changed their beneficiaries on their life insurance.

One detective raised his hand and said, "Kieth, you're so right. My partner went to the (union) office to update his beneficiary. I decided I would check on mine and found my first wife was still my beneficiary...and I'm now on Wife Number Three."

OTOH, there were some cops who had secret, second life insurance policies for favorite long-term girlfriends.

[mdrdep]

In addition to dept. records, I keep a small card in the same pocket as my trauma plate on my vest. It lists allergies, blood type and next of kin.

[Iowa #1603]

Dispatch or HR should have all that information readily available ----as updated by the officer

We started giving a copy of this document to each new hire (after giving one to every officer during an inservice) after the death of an officer who was driving into work

http://www.nationalcops.org/agencies...cial_diary.pdf


Concerns of Police Survivors has a lot of information on their download page

http://www.nationalcops.org/survivorsforms.htm

[Chomp]

I've got my blood type listed on my vest, that's about it. Should probably do something more involved like Kieth described, though.

[5031OKC]

We have a departmental database that contains all of our officers important info: address, phone numbers, emergency contacts, blood type, allergies, etc. Supervisors (and above) have access to it.

[biggesto]

Thanks for the replies. We have some basic information in dispatch but found in the middle of an incident it might be faster and easier if we all had the info on us. THat way there is no trying to get dispatch and them trying to find the info. Yes, it should be easy but nothing ever is and in the midst of an officer down it didn't work nearly as well as the plan called for. That's why we are looking at a wallet card or something to stick in trauma plate pouch.

[HI629]

I have a USB thumb drive that has all of the info on it. I keep it in the spare mag pouch of the BUG holster behind my vest. I also have a laminated 3 x 5 index card with the basic info rolled up in the pouch that refers readers to check the thumb drive for more info.

As for folks with a "second" family, while in the military, we found out the hard way that one of our Airmen didn't keep his info UTD. He was pretty discreet about his family and didn't bring them around for unit functions, etc. We did a LODD notification and found out that his info was outdated when we addressed his "wife" by the wrong name. Ended up that he was still married to another woman, but living with a long term girlfriend. Word to those in the military - Keep your info up to date. The "birth month audit" as well as "pre-deployment" info updates are important.

[Resq14]

Functionally, listing blood type is pointless. No medical facility will give you matched blood based on a card, patch, sticker, jewelry, flair pin, etc. You'll either get O, or typed and crossed for a match. Liability is just too great, and the tests are routine and accurate these days.

With that said, I like it as a gut check and reminder, same as having "FLY ME TO _____ HOSPITAL" on the vest.

I think a file in dispatch is important, as well as a laminated card on your person. You can print the needed info, fold it in half, laminate it in heavy duty plastic, and carry it in the trauma pack pocket behind the packs/plates. I'd get a name strip embroidered with "emergency info inside" on the vest carrier. Or velcro the laminated cared directly to the vest.

Like others have said, it's only as good as the information you keep up to date.

Concerns of Police Survivors, as already mentioned, has more in-depth forms for keeping in a secure place.

[stillamarine]

We have a wooden index file thingy (technical term) that has cards with everyones contact information and other pertinent stuff on it. We just had a huge issue a couple months back when the chief wanted to speak to an ofc about a complaint and his contact info was out of date. So we had to go in and refresh everything. We also have our information in the system that we use for our scheduling.

[stormz5192]

We all are required to carry emergency responder cards hat are embeded with our info. The rest is on the rms in hq.