From the Tribune Chronicle: The Warren (Ohio) Fire Department unveiled a new service Monday that enables citizens to give information about individuals with special needs in their residence.

The move was prompted by a 2009 fire that involved several mentally disabled people living in a group home. Firefighters had no way of accessing that information.

Within the next week, residents will receive a questionnaire with their water bill. Residents can disclose any special-needs information they deem may be helpful to emergency first responders. That information will then be placed in a database that will be accessed whenever fire, police or ambulance personnel are dispatched to that address.

Initially, Franklin is asking residents to give only the special needs of people with mental and physical disabilities, which also covers the needs of the elderly and chronically ill. In the future, however, information fields could expand to include other special situations, such as the presence of large animals. Read the entire article here.