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| This File of Life information could save a life someday. |
I was doing one of those rare clean-offs of the outside of refrigerator the other day and found something of importance that I thought I would share. A few years ago when were visiting a health and safety fair, we picked up some File of Life forms. The idea behind the File of Life is to record important information that an emergency rescue worker would need and that you may not always be able to provide. This could be in a situation where you are unconscious or in a panicked state and unable to think clearly. The files include information about medical conditions, medicines, doctors, and insurance among other things.* Emergency workers are trained to look on the refrigerator for a document like this.
These forms are usually given out by the local fire department, so I suggest that you give them a call. If you can't find any, I would make up a similar document. Print it on bright red paper and hang it on the side of the fridge in a sheet protector. Who knows? The life you save could be your own. It is so important that I hadn't updated mined for two years. Oops! Out of sight, out of mind. I will do better in the future.
*Information that is included:
- Date
- Name, address, gender
- DOB
- Doctor name and phone number
- Existing medical conditions
- Allergies
- Medications
- Emergency contacts with addresses and phone numbers
- Religion
- Medical insurance information
- Living will on file at:
- Social Security Number
