W.H.A.L.E. Program Aids Infants

Aug. 01--JEROME -- Imagine: A mother driving on the highway loses control of her car, crashes and is knocked unconscious. Her infant son, strapped in a car seat has no way of telling paramedics his father's phone number, medication allergies or even his name. What do emergency responders do?

Katrina Gratzer has a solution -- the W.H.A.L.E. program, which stands for We Have a Little Emergency.

"As a mom, I wonder why I didn't think of this before," she said.

The W.H.A.L.E. program distributes kits to agencies across the country. Each kit includes two stickers that affix to the sides of a car seat, two window clings and a larger sticker for the back of a car seat that includes information about the child, including parents' names, contact information and allergies.

The stickers and window clings are meant to alert rescuers that they can find this information on the back of the car seat.

Sometimes, just being able to call the child by his or her name can make a situation less stressful, said Gratzer, a SIRCOMM emergency dispatcher.

The stickers are useful if a grandparent or babysitter is driving and they might not have detailed medical information about the child.

Gratzer heard about W.H.A.L.E. after an experience on Interstate 84 on her way home from Boise. As the cars sped past her, Gratzer noticed in one car a woman holding a baby, with no car seat.

Gratzer called the Idaho Transportation Department about car seat rules and in the process found they funded the W.H.A.L.E. program. When she called around, few people in the Magic Valley knew about the free kits.

Gratzer decided to use her contacts as a dispatcher to get the word out about the program.

As a dispatcher, Gratzer said she knows bad accidents happen every day. Having important information on her son's car seat seems like common sense, she said.

"It's on there for first responders to help you," she said.

While parents can hope a terrible crash never happens to them, it's better to be prepared and protect children, she said.

"They're lost in that situation," she said. "I can't imagine what it would be like."

Copyright 2013 - The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho