BLAKELY, Pa. — A first responder in Lackawanna County is starting an initiative to use stickers to identify homes with children with special needs.
You've seen stickers on windows notifying first responders of where kids sleep or if pets are in the home.
Lt. Dylan Barrett with Blakely Ambulance and Rescue was on a call and saw something he hadn't seen before—a sticker signifying a child with special needs lived there.
"I came across this house that had a sticker on the front door, and during the whole day at work, I thought about bringing something up to the meeting here, and we can do it for Blakely," Barrett said.
Barrett was given the go-ahead to have special needs notification stickers made up to distribute to Blakely residents. Barrett says that depending on the call, it can be important to get information as quickly as possible from people, and knowing what to expect when you get there helps, especially if a person or child has special needs.
"Some of them are nonverbal, some aren't. Some can't move, some could, so it's nice to know what we're going into and adapt to that situation."
Barrett says he is working with a printing company to get the stickers designed and printed. The idea was posted to Blakely Ambulance and Rescue's Facebook page earlier in the week, and the response from people interested in the stickers was instant.
"I've got everybody calling me all week, text messages. I was thrilled that it's going like this."
Other fire and rescue departments also thought the stickers were a helpful tool.
"I actually had two companies reach out to me asking me for details on the stickers because they want to start doing it in their areas," Barrett added.
Barrett hopes to have the stickers available soon and hopes this initiative takes off in other counties.