Program will help the elderly

The LifeLight project continues to accept cell phones.

By ED RUNYAN

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — Distribution of light fixtures and 911 phones to home-bound and elderly county residents is planned, starting in August, for a program Judge Thomas A. Swift of Trumbull County Probate Court devised to help such residents in emergencies.

Judge Swift first proposed the LifeLight project to county commissioners during budget hearings in late 2006 and received an endorsement of the idea from police and fire departments and elected officials in the months that followed.

The idea involves distributing a device that can be screwed into a regular light fixture in the front of a house that can be activated as a regular light with a single flip of the light switch — or turned into a flashing light with a second flip.

The flashing light can then alert emergency personnel to the location of an emergency call. This can save valuable time, Judge Swift said, in cases where a residence is hard to find.

It might also help alert a person’s neighbors to an emergency, Judge Swift said.

In the initial months of the program, the response has been overwhelming.

“This has gotten the best reception of anything I’ve been involved with,” Judge Swift said, noting that a small number of individuals who demonstrated an urgent need have already received their lights and phones.

How it came about

The idea came to him while jogging near his home, Judge Swift said. He noticed ambulance personnel trying to answer an emergency call and having trouble finding the home. He has heard of other cases where someone inside the house had to run outside to flag down the ambulance.

A second part of the project is collection and distribution of 911 phones.

Drop-off locations have been available for months where unwanted cell phones could be deposited. Some locations are the probate court in the county courthouse, many city and township fire departments and community centers.

The phones have been sent to a nonprofit organization that has converted them to a phone that only dials 911. The organization returns them ready to use. They also come with a backup battery and battery charger.

The cell-phone collections are providing much of the money needed for the eventual distribution of the LifeLights and 911 phones, Judge Swift said. Other donations are also helping fund the program.

Mike Dolhancryk, director of the county 911 center, said he believes the phones and lights will be helpful to first-responders.

“The way the houses are numbered around here, I think it will be a big help,” he said. He added that any device that puts callers in touch with emergency call takers is welcome.

For more information on the program, call Tara Treharn at (330) 675-2521.

runyan@vindy.com