Rave Mobile Safety Encourages Citizens to Take an Active Role in Safeguarding Their Own Well-Being by Creating a Free Smart911 Safety Profile
Celebrate Smart911 Day on April 30 by Providing Key Information to Emergency Response
Rave Mobile Safety (Rave) announced today that they will observe Smart911 Day on April 30, and encourage communities and residents to participate in the Smart911 program. For more than 10 years, Smart911 has supplied critical background information and situational context to first responders so they can provide the most informed emergency response. Over 66 million people nationwide are in communities protected by Smart911.
Individuals can easily create a Safety Profile for themselves and their households at www.smart911.com or on the Smart911 App, and include any information they want 9-1-1 dispatchers and response teams to have in the event of an emergency. When a resident makes an emergency call that is answered in a Smart911-supported area, their Safety Profile is automatically displayed to a 9-1-1 call taker, allowing them to send the right response units to the right location, with the right resources.
Creating a Smart911 profile is a great way to support 9-1-1 dispatchers and first responders as 9-1-1 Education Month and National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week wind down.
“As a dispatcher, helping residents get the help they need as quickly as possible is my top priority – but it’s not always easy. There are instances where someone might not be able to speak due to an injury or because they’re in a dangerous situation, or scenarios where someone might not remember their location because of a condition like dementia,” said Rebecca Bentley, San Luis Obispo (CA) County sheriff dispatcher. “These are exactly the situations where Smart911 makes a huge difference to me and my colleagues. We can see information that aids our call, fills in gaps and helps us dispatch the right resources to help the caller. It helps us do our job better – which in turn only helps our community.”
Available in more than 3,500 municipalities across all 50 states, the Smart911 national registry is a free service that allows individuals and families to share pertinent information.
- Emergency contact information
- Medical history, including medications, medical conditions and mental health history
- Property details, layouts and utility information
- Number of people and pets living on the property
All information included in a Smart911 Safety Profile—from addresses and vehicle details to pets in the home and emergency contacts—is at the registrant’s discretion and kept completely private.
“Smart911 provides our residents with a free and secure way to share information with 9-1-1 dispatchers and first responders about their households so that if an emergency occurs, valuable time is saved,” said Rich Guidice, executive director of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC). “The safety of Chicago’s residents and first responders is always our top priority and when calling 9-1-1 every detail provided to our call takers is critical. Chicago residents can also opt-in on their Smart911 profiles to better serve their community by sharing their public-facing surveillance camera footage with law enforcement. If a crime occurs in their neighborhood, police will then be able to contact them to share video footage that may help to solve a crime.”
Smart911 has been a lifesaving resource in critical situations. The tool has been credited with positively impacting hundreds of emergency outcomes for individuals, including:
- A missing elderly resident with dementia, in which the person’s photo and physical description were immediately available to 9-1-1 and first responders
- A heart attack victim where an address and medical notes allowed responders to be dispatched to his location quickly
- A child with autism who was having a mental health crisis; the child’s condition was noted in a Safety Profile allowing first responders to walk into the situation prepared
- Enhancing communication with domestic violence victims
“As an organization that supports parents of children with special needs, we know the fear that families can face if those children ever have encounters with first responders who are unaware of their conditions,” said Aurélie Brown, co-executive director of Parent to Parent USA, a non-profit organization that ensures access to quality emotional support for families of individuals with disabilities and/or special health care needs. “The fact that Smart911 can share critical information about those with disabilities – for example, if they don’t respond well to bright lights or loud sounds – can drastically help improve emergency response for those individuals, ensuring they get access to the care they need in a safe, personalized and efficient manner. The tool brings great peace of mind to parents across the country, and I can’t emphasize the importance of signing up enough.”
The Smart911 App is available on the Apple Store or Google Play. Individuals are encouraged to create their Safety Profile with Smart911 today to have their information immediately available to 9-1-1 and to receive emergency notifications. Smart911 is private and secure; it is only used by response teams in the event of an emergency call.
Rave Mobile Safety provides organizations and residents who want to advocate for Smart911 in their communities with resources to setup Smart911. Public safety officials who want to learn about getting Smart911 for their community can learn more about the Rave 911 Suite and Smart911 at www.ravemobilesafety.com.