Smart911 available in Madison County

RICHMOND, Ky. (WTVQ) – Public safety officials in Madison County announced today that Smart911 is now available to all citizens. Smart911 is a free service that allows citizens to create a Safety Profile for their household that can include any information they may want 9-1-1 call takers and first responders to have in the event of an emergency, then if they need to dial 9-1-1 their Safety Profile will immediately display on the call taker’s screen saving critical seconds and even minutes in response to the emergency.

“By bringing Smart911 service to Madison County, we are giving local residents and visitors the ability to provide potentially life-saving information to first responders before an emergency, which is especially important in situations when the caller is panicked or unable to speak, “ said Larry Brock, Chairperson for the Madison County 911 Board.

Smart911 allows citizens to create a Safety Profile at www.smart911.com for their household that includes any information they want 9-1-1 and response teams to have in the event of an emergency. When a citizen makes an emergency call, their Safety Profile is automatically displayed to the 9-1-1 call taker, allowing them to send the right response teams to the right location with the right information. Responders can be aware of many details they would not have known previously, and now fire crews can arrive at a house fire knowing how many people live in the home and the location of bedrooms, EMS can be advised of allergies or specific medical conditions and police can have the photo of a missing child in seconds rather than minutes or hours.

“When you call 9-1-1, you’re not having your best day and even the simplest of details can be difficult to communicate in a time of panic,” said City of Berea Police Chief David Gregory. “By creating a Safety Profile before an emergency happens they are ensuring that we will have the information we need even if they can’t communicate it.”

With Smart911, citizens can link both home and work addresses to mobile phones, which can be passed on to responders in the field for more a detailed, rapid response. Additional information including pets in the home, vehicle details in the event of an accident, and even emergency contacts can all be included in a Safety Profile. All information is optional and the citizen has the ability to choose what details they would like to include.

“The more information made available to 9-1-1 call takers the better,” said Wayne Long, Chief of the Richmond Fire Department. “Knowing how many people live in the home, where the bedrooms are located and even pets in the home can ensure we know who we need to help and where they might be”

Smart911 is currently available in 40 states and more than 1,500 municipalities across the country, and has been credited with positively impacting emergency outcomes including a missing child in Arkansas, a heart attack victim in Nashville and a man trapped in a house fire in Michigan. In Kentucky, Smart911 is available in Lawrenceburg/Anderson County, Jessamine County, Frankfort/Franklin County, Lexington/Fayette County and Owensboro County.

Citizens are encouraged to create their Safety Profile with Smart911 today to have their information immediately available to 9-1-1. Smart911 is private and secure, is only used for emergency responses, and only made available to the 9-1-1 system in the event of an emergency call.

Anyone with questions or needing further assistance may contact Wendy Lynch, Director of the Madison County 9-1-1 Center, at 859-624-4776.