Academy-Sherman Park Neighborhood Meeting

Last Thursday's Academy-Sherman Park meeting had some interesting and newsworthy tidbits.

Undaunted at his loss in the recent primary, a very empassioned Joe Palm revealed his plan to clean up MLK drive on Martin Luther King's birthday.

Calling attention to prostitutes who "expose themselves in public" among myriad other problems, Palm said the street was an embarrasment to its namesake, and said his effort to clean up the street would not, and is not designed to take attention away from the planned march.

Fire Chief Sherman George also appeared, and spoke about some programs within the Fire Department that may be news to many (on a side note, the SLFD is the second oldest paid fire department in the nation)

1. Not only does the SLFD provide free smoke detectors to anyone who requests them, but they will also come to your house and install them, with batteries, at no charge.

2. The SLFD has a program called "Are You Okay?", which is a "telphone reassurance program" meant to help senior citizens or the disabled. Once a person has signed up, an automated phone call will be placed to a domicile 7 days a week, 365 days a year to check up on the resident living there. If there is no answer after 3 attempts, an emergency vehicle will be dispatched to the home to make sure everything is okay. According to George, this should cut down on the specter of the elderly or disabled falling down or being similarly incapacitated, and remaining on the floor, without help, for days, or in many documented cases, until death.

Lastly, George handed out the "Vial of Life"

The "Vial of Life" contains a lengthy form pertaining to an individual's medical history-- what medicines he/she is on, what reactions they might have, etc. etc. If this information is filled out properly, placed in the vial, and stashed on the right hand side of the freezer shelf, the paramedics will retrieve it.

George points out that medical treatment can be administered far more quickly and efficiently, both in the ambulance and the hospital, if the EMT's and doctors have this information. The vial has a sticker inside to be placed on the (refrigerator?) to alert the EMT's to its presence.

Any questions about these programs should be forwarded to Capt. Derrick Phillips or paramedic supervisor Sharon Collier- 289-1988

Lastly, outgoing Senator Pat Dougherty stopped by, tearfully thanking the neighborhood for all its support.