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Randall Jeppeson reporting A new bracelet system could make life easier for paramedics who respond to the scene of a terminally ill patient. The bracelet tells them whether or not the patient wants to be resuscitated.
Firefighter and paramedics trainer Kevin Kemp holds a little plastic bag, inside it a metal medic alert bracelet that he hopes will save them from a problem they face regularly out in the field.
"Our obligation is to render aid and care for this patient," said Kemp.
Many times when a patient is terminally ill they have a living will or order that says do not resuscitate. But when a paramedic arrives they have to save the patient until they see that paperwork.
"So on this bracelet, you have patient identification and a number that's accessible 24 hours a day," Kemp said.
Kemp hopes more people in this situation will start using the bracelets because he says it's an emotional rollercoaster without it.