Normally, Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps members race out of their headquarters responding to emergency calls.

But on November 14, volunteers and partners from Hiram Lodge No. 18 in Sandy Hook will be joining Mason and NVAC member Chris Capozza inviting local families with young children to race into the ambulance headquarters at 6 Washington Square for a program that can make a critical difference if a child goes missing.

Mr Capozza is organizing an event centered around providing local parents a free CTCHIP “Purple Pack.” It will run from 10 am to 4 pm.

CTCHIP, or Connecticut CHild Identification Program, is a comprehensive child identification tool designed to give families a measure of protection in the event of a missing child. Connecticut Freemasons bring this no-cost program to communities throughout Connecticut, including the upcoming session planned in Newtown.

Recently, the Connecticut Freemasons Foundation working with other partnering organizations have upgraded CTCHIP equipment technology, from VHS recording tapes to digital recording on mini-DVD-RAM discs. This upgrade allows the repackaging of the identifying items generated at CTCHIP events into the easy-to-carry and take-on-vacation Purple Pack.

The Purple Pack includes a DVD Ram disk which has a video of a child and a still photo, the child’s fingerprints, a dental impression, and a dental swab. All identifying items generated at the upcoming Newtown CTCHIP event are placed in the “purple pack” and given to the parent or guardian to take home for safekeeping.

If a child becomes missing, the pack can then be provided to law enforcement to aid in recovery and identification. The Connecticut Freemasons keep nothing but the permission form signed by the parent prior to participation in the event.

Mr Capozza said that Hiram Lodge Brother Ted Hasty, the CTCHIP district coordinator, will be present at the event instructing volunteers, including Lodge members Al Ballwig, Frank Demaio, Tony Don, Jonathan Flores, James Gulalo, Gordon Hurlbert, Anthony Neri, Anthony Raiani.

Organizers also hope to have a number of other town emergency vehicles available for a small “touch-a-truck” activity.

“The CHIP program is a comprehensive child identification program being provided in an effort to fight the ever-increasing problem of missing and exploited children in our country,” Mr Capozza said. “Many other towns will usually host this event at the local fire station, but I would prefer to have it at the ambulance station.”

For information, e-mail Mr Capozza at c.capozza@gmail.com, call 914-482-3575, or visit ctchip.org.