Enhanced 9-1-1 service is now available to Allegan County residents.
When an emergency is reported to a 9-1-1 call center using a cellphone, it doesn’t assign an address for dispatchers. Registering a phone and a Safety Profile with Smart911 can increase response time.
Allegan County residents can now sign up for the free service online at www.smart911.com or by downloading the Smart911 app. Here users can create a Safety Profile including home and work addresses. Allegan County points out in a news release, “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.”
Allegan County Sheriff Frank Baker explains, “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 enhanced 9-1-1 system is available in more than 1,500 U.S. municipalities. Smart911 is private and secure dedicated to emergency use only.
Patrick Center, WGVU News.