After last Friday's large response by local emergency responders to a house in Rhinelander, the Oneida County Sheriff's Department is reminding the public to make preparations should a person with a medical emergency need help.
Captain Terri Hook says one way is to contract with any one of a number of private companies that provide a type of "one touch" alert service for people who can't speak or get help any other way...
".....there are companies out there where you get a device where you press a button if you're having an emergency. When you register with those companies, usually they will take all the information about what kind of medical issue you have so when you press that button and you can't speak, they will tell(the dispatcher) what type of medical issue is at the house...."
Hook says there are also options for people who can't afford one of the private services...
".....all you have to do is go to the hospital, get something from your doctor and we could set that alert right here in our system. Other options that families who have aging parents, that they have some concerns about their safety, the Department on Aging also has different services they might be able to suggest to the family as well....."
Friday evening a call came into the 9-1-1 dispatch center from a Sanns Street location. A man was eventually taken to the hospital for what turned out to be a medical condition. But law enforcement officials said the nearly hour long call led them to think there was a potentially dangerous situation.
In other reports, the man's family was upset over his treatment by law enforcement. A large number of law enforcement vehicles responded, including the Marathon/Oneida counties bomb squad.
