Bay County Building
515 Center Avenue
Bay City, Michigan 48708-5941

Bay County Enhances 9-1-1 Services and Emergency Notification with Smart911

For Immediate Release

Public Safety Officials Encourage Residents to Sign Up For the Free Service That Sends Emergency Notifications and Provides Emergency Responders With More Information

BAY CITY, Mich., April 5, 2016 –Public safety officials in Bay County announced today that Smart911 is now available to all individuals. Smart911is a free service that allows individuals and families to sign up online to receive emergency notifications and to provide crucial information to 9-1-1call takers during an emergency.

“Smart911saves critical time in an emergency; helping 9-1-1 and first responders to save lives nationwide,”said Troy Cunningham, Bay County Under Sheriff. “The additional information provided in a Smart911 Safety Profile helps us when responding to the scene of a vehicle accident or when looking for a missing person, Smart911profile details can help us respond faster and more efficiently.”

Smart911allows citizens to create a Safety Profile at www.smart911.com for their household that includes any information they want 9-1-1 and first responders to have in the event of an emergency. When a citizen makes a 9-1-1 call, their Safety Profile is automatically displayed to the 9-1-1 call taker, allowing them to send the right first responders to the right location with the right information. Additionally, individuals can opt-in to receive notifications about emergencies or critical situations and receive alerts regarding necessary actions, such as evacuation and shelter-in-place.

“Citizens will receive notifications that will improve safety in our County and help inform residents of potentially lifesaving actions they may need to take in an emergency,” said Tom Hickner, Bay County Executive. “The information in Smart911 Safety Profiles and the emergency notifications allows both residents and first responders to be better informed in an emergency situation.”

With Smart911, citizens can link both home and work addresses to mobile phones, which can be passed on to first 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 contact scan all be included in a Safety Profile. All information is optional and residents have the ability to choose what details they would like to include.

“The benefits of this information on a 9-1-1 call from a cell phone are immeasurable”, said Randy VanDenBoom, Hampton Township Fire Chief. “Mobile phones do not provide an address to the 9-1-1 Dispatcher. In situations like a house fire, seconds matter and the additional information in a Safety Profile allows help to arrive fast.”

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 which the girls photo and physical description were immediately available to 9-1-1 and responders, as well as a heart attack victim where an address and medical notes allowed responders to be dispatched to his location quickly.

Citizens are encouraged to create their Safety Profile with Smart911 today at www.smart911.comto have their information immediately available to 9-1-1 and to receive emergency notifications. 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.

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