FY2010 Arlington Fire Department Annual Report FY 2010 | Page 16

Newsletter Title

Page 16

The Arlington Fire Department‘s Community Services
Officer coordinates educational outreach to the public.
Initiatives include partnerships with the Arlington
Professional Firefighters Association, the Arlington
Hispanic Firefighters Association, the Arlington Police
Department, the Arlington Parks and Recreation
Department, American Medical Response (the City‘s
private ambulance contractor), local hospitals, and the
Arlington, Mansfield and Kennedale School
Districts. The Arlington Fire Department
participates in a variety of community service and education programs throughout the
year, including fire station tours, visits to local schools and day care programs,
community demonstrations and smoke detector checks. Frequently, the AFD attends
neighborhood block parties and participates in town hall meetings.

Vial of Life
A cooperative effort with the Arlington Professional
Firefighters Association, the Vial of Life Program,
provides containers to citizens for storage of
medical information. Participants in the program
are given a form to complete with pertinent
medical history and emergency contacts. Once
completed, the form is placed in an oversized pill
capsule and stored in the refrigerator. A front door
sticker and a refrigerator magnet are visual cues
for emergency responders that the resident has a
Vial of Life.

Water Safety
The Arlington Fire Department‘s Dive Team at Fire
Station #7 offers water safety education as well as boat
and pool checks to residents. The Fire Department‘s web
site provides a 20-question survey for homeowners to
personally evaluate the safety of their swimming pools.
Arlington Fire crews visit homes on request to provide
feedback to residents to help them improve the safety of
their poo