Create A Smart911 Profile To Support Newtown

For the past six months Collier County residents have been using the Smart911 notification system to enhance the information available for first responders in an emergency situation.

You can still sign up.

And if you sign up now, Smart911 will make a $1 donation to the Sandy Hook Support Fund for every Safety Profile created across the country until the end of the year.

The fund was established to honor the memory of those lost, as well as pay tribute to the 911 call takers and first responders who were called upon to respond to the devastating situation at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Newtown has the Smart911 system.

There is a link on the homepage of the Smart911 website at www.Smart911.com to create a Safety Profile in support of Sandy Hook.

Smart911 lets you create a profile that will be immediately delivered to supported 911 centers and responders in the event you call 911.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Naples Police Department, implemented the Smart911 database in June.

The Smart911 database allows citizens to create a secure safety profile of vital personal and household information, including medications, medical conditions and even photographs of each member of the household. Information about family pets can also be entered. The safety profile will be displayed to 911 call takers immediately when that citizen places an emergency call. This safety profile provides much richer information than is currently available on incoming calls and can contain the specific details that first responders need in order to save lives.

Citizens are responsible for filing their own safety profile. A profile is important for many reasons. A profile can give law enforcement immediate access to a photograph if a child goes missing. For the hearing-impaired, a profile can alert the call taker to initiate text messaging as a means of communication in an emergency. A profile can also instantly provide emergency responders with critical information about medical conditions and medications.

Smart911 is free and 100 percent private and secure. Safety profiles can be created through the Smart911 website. Smart911 has the added benefit of being a national database, giving citizens the ability to have their information travel with them. While they may create their profile in their hometown, if they dial 911 anywhere in the country where the Smart911 service is active, their profile will be available to 911 call takers.

Click here to watch a video about Smart911.