VILLA PARK : His Emergency Light Idea Came in a Flash

Residents here may soon be installing flashing blue lights to help emergency crews find their homes faster if Councilman Bob Patchin’s idea to make it a requirement gets approved.

His idea is to have every home install a blue flashing light in a front window to be turned on whenever there’s an emergency. By doing so, emergency crews would be able to find homes faster, he said.

Patchin has received support from his colleagues on the council and he plans to present his proposal to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which serves Villa Park, next month.

Councilman Bob Bell, who was a volunteer firefighter for more than 20 years and served as fire chief for 13 years in the city, said he didn’t see why anyone would object to Patchin’s idea.

“It’s a good idea,” he said. “Any tool that emergency personnel can have made available to them is a plus. I’m not aware of any negatives.”

Villa Park has no street lights and finding addresses takes time when emergency vehicles are responding to a call, Patchin said. “This light could reduce the search and location time.”

Fire and sheriff’s officials were hesitant to comment on Patchin’s idea because they haven’t seen it work or examined it. But they commended the 66-year-old council member for trying to find a way to make the city safer.

“We don’t endorse products,” said Kathleen Cha, spokeswoman for the Orange County Fire Department, which serves Villa Park. “But the community has the power to make itself safer, and the concept sounds fine. It’s laudable that (Patchin) is exploring it.”

Patchin said residents of 1,900 homes could buy dime-sized flashers that are placed inside a light bulb socket. The flasher is activated when the electricity is turned on. He bought a flasher for $3.10 at a hardware store and has installed it as his home.

“I would think anybody in Villa Park would be able to pay $5 to $15 to assure themselves a quick response in an emergency in the dark,” said Patchin, who got the idea from an article in “Modern Maturity” magazine. The article told about how Mercer County Sheriff’s Department in New Jersey was issuing flashers to senior citizens for free, he said.

He said he hopes the idea will catch on throughout the county. “We’re going to do this unless we’re told we can’t,” Patchin said.

“There has to be a starting point for any invention,” Bell said. “I don’t see any problems with this one.”