Two of Warrick County's most popular outdoor spaces, Friedman Park and Scales Lake Park, now feature new safety devices: blue-light emergency phones.
The Warrick Parks Foundation announced it had installed the upgraded call boxes Thursday morning. The foundation is a non-profit organization tasked with helping to maintain Warrick County's parks and trails.
"These highly visible, solar-powered, weatherproof, wireless emergency phones are the first emergency systems located in any area park," Laurel Meny, the Warrick Parks Foundation executive director, wrote in a news release. "The installation of these state-of-the-art beacons will provide simple one-touch connection to emergency authorities for all park and trail visitors."
Five donors came together to fund the upgrades, according to Meny. Photos released by the parks foundation show the devices standing at Friedman and Scales Lake parks: The poles are white and adorned with a solar pannel and, you guessed it, a blue emergency light.
Users need not punch in a phone number to call for help. The poles contact emergency services through the push of a large, red button and, according to the manufacturer, allow users to communicate with first responders via a two-way speaker system.
Warrick County Commissioner Terry Phillippe praised the addition of the blue-light emergency phones.