|
What started as a
conversation about concerns between Prescott Valley
Police Department Cmdr. Laura Molinaro and
Kim Stamper, parent of several individuals with Special
Needs, developed into a committee of community members
who created what was to be called the First Responder
Smart Card Program. [Read a Prescott
Courier article about the program]
The First Responder Smart Card Program was designed to
provide training to First Responders (Police, Fire, EMS)
on how to better recognize and respond to the needs of
individuals with special needs, which includes
individuals with Developmental Disabilities and/or
Mental Illness. It also provides training for parents
and providers on when to call first responders and what
happens once the call is made. The third component of
this comprehensive program is the registry of locations
that house individuals with special needs. By
voluntarily registering their address with first
responder Dispatch centers, first responders are alerted
when dispatched to a call for service at that location.
Provided to each registrant are several Smart Cards that
are completed for each individual with special needs and
maintained at the residence. First responders arriving
on scene already know that there may be a person with
special needs at the location but also know that there
should be a Smart Card that will provide them additional
information about that individual should they require
it.
 The
First Responder Committee began work on this program in
the fall of 2003 and kicked it off in the spring of 2005
in the Prescott Valley, Prescott, and Chino Valley area.
Since that time FRSCP presentations have been given in
numerous areas across the state. Scottsdale was the
first outside area to adopt and begin the program,
kicking it off in February of 2006. We have been working
closely with Kingman/Mohave County and expect that they
will be the next area to adopt and start the program.
Bullhead City and Lake Havasu City will be close on
their heels as they have been involved in all the
meetings with the Kingman community.
On March 21, 2006, Governor Janet
Napolitano
 presented
the First Responder Committee with a check from the
Governors Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) in the amount
of $10,000. $2500 will be used towards our vehicle
program and the remainder of the money will be retained
by the GOHS for future First Responder Smart Card
Program startups to use for their own vehicle program.
The Mesa Police Department and Mesa United Way have
already had an initial presentation and are currently
working on the details of forming their First Responder
Committee. Verde Valley will host an initial
presentation on March 29, 2006 and Flagstaff will host
their initial presentation on April 5, 2006. We also
have requests from the Eager / Springerville area and
the Tucson / Pima County area but have yet to schedule
their presentations.
Requests have also come in from out of state. Boulder,
Colorado, Plano, Texas and Dallas, Texas have requested
information about the FRSCP. We are in touch with those
agencies and will work to bring the program to their
area.
The First Responder Smart Card Program has been Trade
Marked and Licensed so that it remains uniform
throughout the state as well as if it expands beyond the
state’s borders. The FRSCP logo should be readily
recognizable to any and all first responders regardless
of where the first responder is or where the individual
with special needs is located.
How Do I
Find Out More?
For additional information on our program, to register
to receive a smart card packet or to learn about the
next available training, please contact us at:
Tri City
Partnership
Phone: 928-772-5048
Email:
tricitypartners@cableone.net
This
project is supported in part by the Southwest Institute
for Families and Children with Special Needs, Building
Community Health in Arizona, Maternal and Child Health
Grant and the AZ Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. |
