A "Vial of Life" program has been initiated by the Melbourne Fire Department, aimed at making patient information immediately available to rescue crews who respond to calls for medical assistance.

In some situations a patient's condition prevents paramedics from obtaining information directly. The vial program allows individuals to record medical information that can be easily found by rescue personnel.

Plastic vials are available for free at Melbourne's Eight fire stations. Each plastic vial contains a form that can be used to record medical information for two people, along with stickers that indicate to medical teams where the record is stored.

The completed form should be folded and placed inside of the vial, then stored inside of the refrigerator or in the glove box of the person's car.