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Emergency decals assist first responders in Carver County

"The more information we have prior to coming into contact with anyone, the better off we are."

CHASKA, Minn — First responders face a number of challenges when responding in emergency situations.  

"We've run into issues where for example if someone is hearing impaired, you might be knocking at their door and they don't realize you're knocking," said Chief Deputy Patrick Barry with the Carver County Sheriff's Office. 

The use of emergency decals, which can go on your home or car, are changing the game when it comes to saving lives. 

"When our first responders: deputies, sheriffs, paramedics, fire department respond to homes, they see these decals that can help them understand how they may need to respond," said Deputy Barry. 

From diabetics, to patients with PTSD, dementia or Alzheimer's, each of the stickers represent a way of life for so many people who call Carver County home and can make all the difference in a life or death situation. 

"The two biggest ones right now are the autism or special needs stickers and the deaf and hearing impaired stickers," said Barry. 

Carver County resident, Kim Lampher has her sticker which she said would've come in handy a few years ago when she and her daughter, who is autistic, were in serious crash on I-494 in the middle of a snowstorm. 

"We had ambulance and people come and my daughter was injured but they didn't know how and I wasn't in the right place to be letting them know her history and that she was autistic and that they needed to treat her in a different way," said Lampher. 

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"The more information we have prior to coming into contact with anyone the better off we are," said Barry.

If you live in Carver County, you can pick up the decals at your closest city hall or contact your city "Town Cop" to assist in getting you one. 

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