Smart911 Provides Dispatchers with More Information
Sweetwater County, Wyo., is among a growing number of communities that have adopted Smart911 technology, which provides dispatchers with more detailed information during emergencies.
Residents can create a free profile, link their cellphone numbers to home and work addresses, and provide details about who lives in their home, including children and pets. They can also list medical conditions.
When a 911 call comes in, the server shares the phone number with Smart911. If the caller has a Smart911 profile, the cloud service sends the profile information to the server, which passes the information to the dispatcher’s computer-aided dispatch workstation, explains David Halter, IT director for the Sweetwater Combined Communications Joint Powers Board.
The additional information can shorten response time and save lives, particularly because cellphones are not tied to addresses, he says. “There are smart, tactical reasons to use it.”
To learn more about how public safety agencies are leveraging technology, such as automated vehicle locator (AVL) technology, to be more effective in our feature story, "Fleet Management Technology Aids Dispatchers and First Responders."
