ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Police in Allegan County are encouraging citizens to download and get registered on a 911 enhancement app called “Smart911.”
Officials say Smart911 is a free service that allows individuals and families to sign up online to provide key information to 911 call takers during an emergency.
“Smart911 saves critical time in an emergency and has proven to save lives nationwide,” said Saugatuck Township Fire Chief Greg Janik. “The additional information provided in a Smart911 Safety Profile enables us to know exactly where we are going and who we are looking for in a house fire or at the scene of a vehicle accident, those details can help us respond faster and more efficiently.”
Smart911 works by allowing individuals to create a Safety Profile for their household either online or through the app. The Safety Profile includes any information a user would want 911 and response teams to have in case of an emergency.
When a citizen makes an emergency call, their Safety Profile is automatically displayed to the 911 call taker, allowing them to send the right response teams to the proper location with accurate information.
“Individuals that create a Safety Profile will be better prepared in all towns and counties across the country that support Smart911,” Director of Allegan County Central Dispatch Jeremy Ludwig said. “The Safety Profile travels with you and the additional information provided allows us to send the right response teams faster.”
With this app, individuals can link both homes and work addresses to mobile phones, which can be passed on to responders in the field for a more detailed and rapid response.
Additional information including pets in the home, vehicle details in the event of an accident, and emergency contacts can all be included in a Safety Profile. All information is optional.
“The benefits of this information on a 9-1-1 call from a cell phone are immeasurable”, Allegan Countt Sheriff Frank Baker said. “Mobile phones do not provide an address to the 9-1-1 call taker. Often during emergency situations the caller is unable to provide the needed information to the call taker to dispatch emergency assistance and the Safety Profile could speak for them when they might be unable.”
The app is available for free through Google Play or the iPhone app store. More information is available online at https://www.smart911.com/.
