Personalized 9-1-1 Profiles Help Improve Emergency Response

DALLAS, Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- When dealing with an emergency, first responders need information – and they need it quickly. Smart911 from AT&T* gives citizens the opportunity to create their own private SmartSafety online profiles that are automatically displayed on 9-1-1 operators' screens if the citizen calls 9-1-1, so law enforcement, fire departments and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are better prepared to help.

Today, at the APCO International Conference and Expo, AT&T announced that it will begin offering Smart911 from AT&T to 9-1-1 centers across the country next month. The service is designed to improve 9-1-1 call processing and dispatching effectiveness.

How Smart911 Works
Smart911 from AT&T allows citizens to go online at www.smart911.com and create their own SmartSafety profiles, which are collected in a highly secure Smart911 database. Citizens can choose to record their own information such as medical conditions, disabilities, special needs, locations of relevant rooms in their houses or apartments, and any other details they think 9-1-1 operators should see in the case of an emergency call.

Traditional 9-1-1 services provide operators with only the most basic data – phone number and some level of location information – when they receive calls. Operators then have to secure additional information from the callers, who may be frightened, panicked or injured.

Smart911 from AT&T shortens the time-consuming process of gathering background information. 9-1-1 operators whose centers have purchased Smart911 from AT&T can immediately act upon the data included in callers' SmartSafety profiles, dispatching law enforcement, firefighters or medical personnel to the scene with important facts already in hand.

The data included in citizens' free-of-charge SmartSafety profile can make a significant difference in how first responders approach a situation. For example:

• Allergies can be listed in a SmartSafety profile so 9-1-1 operators can properly inform EMTs, even if the caller isn't able to speak.
• If someone with dementia can't remember his or her apartment number, 9-1-1 operators can easily find this information in the caller's profile and dispatch help right to the front door, instead of having to locate the floor and unit once first responders arrive at the apartment complex.
• Parents can include photographs of their children in their SmartSafety profiles, allowing 9-1-1 operators to send the picture to police officers if a child ever goes missing.

AT&T will deliver Smart911 from AT&T in collaboration with Rave Mobile Safety, a leading provider of software for campus and public safety.¹

"Public safety and assistance are among the most valuable uses of communications services," said Mel Coker, Vice President, Public Safety Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions. "Smart911 from AT&T provides public safety agencies with the information they need to better assist 9-1-1 callers. It also gives those callers peace of mind in knowing that first responders have the data necessary to help them in critical situations."

Also today at APCO, AT&T will sponsor a 9-1-1 for Kids® Heroes ceremony. The ceremony will honor young people and 9-1-1 dispatchers for their extraordinary efforts in emergency situations. AT&T supports 9-1-1 for Kids, the official voice of 9-1-1 public education, in its mission to provide effective tools for educating communities on the proper use of 9-1-1.

You can learn more about Smart911 from AT&T by visiting AT&T at APCO, Booth #937.

¹ Smart911 is a trademark of Rave Mobile Safety and is used under license.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse^® and AT&T │DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.