Enhanced 'Smart 911' Service Now Available In Michigan

MOUNT CLEMENS (WWJ) - A new enhancement to 911 services, that will help police and fire respond faster and more efficiently, is now available throughout the state of Michigan.

Macomb County Sheriff Captain Dave Daniels explains that, with Smart 911, residents can go online to create a Safety Profile for their household.

"In that profile they can provide information such as exactly where they live, how many people are in the home, if they have pets in the home — any time of critical information that may be important for first responders to know prior to arrival."

"It sets the profile up for where, if the individual that made the 911 phone call can't communicate, first responders have that information prior to arrival and they'll know that information without having to speak with someone."

Additional information including 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.

The service is free, and can link both home and work addresses to mobile phones, which can be passed on to responders in the field for more a detailed, rapid response.

"When you make the call from your cell phone, when it comes from that phone number it populates at our 911 call taker screen," Daniels said. "If you're able to communicate, that information is duplicated. But if you can't, then we have that information."

Authorities say all information 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.  Citizens are encouraged to create their Safety Profile with Smart 911 today, at Smart911.com.