Onslow County is the first in the region to offer a service that provides first responders with personal information when an emergency occurs. PRE’s Meredith Radford explains.
Smart911 is a software program that allows residents to create a profile that includes information like their name, address, blood type, and medical conditions. Those details become available to first responders when 911 is called. Onslow County’s 911 division chief Ray Silance says over 5,000 calls came into the county’s 911 center last month. Some of those ---from cellphones that can’t be automatically tracked. Silance adds the service would also help them locate people who are incapacitated.
“With this Smart911 program, if the homeowner’s go in there and do their information and say ‘Hey, call my neighbor,’ or ‘This is my emergency contact that could also respond to the house to let you in,’ that would help us save time.”
Silance said the information people share in their profiles is confidential and only used for emergency responses.
For Public Radio East, I’m Meredith Radford.
