Smart911 Provides Vital Address and Medical Notes to Assist in 9-1-1 Response to a Lonoke County Woman

LONOKE, Ark., May 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A dispatcher with Lonoke County Sheriff's Office was honored for her outstanding efforts to send first responders to an elderly woman in medical distress using Smart911, the national public safety service, deployed across the state to improve emergency response. Lt. Matt Edwards of the Sheriff's Office presented Christy Kenzel with a SmartSave Award from Smart911, which recognizes and rewards call-takers, dispatchers and emergency responders who are able to effectively use information in a Smart911 Safety Profile to positively affect the outcome of an emergency. 

On April 14, 2015, Kenzel received a call from a home health aide reporting her patient was in medical distress and in need of immediate attention. The aid gave the patient's address, but was unable to confirm the spelling of the street, leaving Kenzel unsure where to send first responders. Coming to Kenzel's aid was the woman's Smart911 Safety Profile, which displayed when she answered the incoming call. Listed in the profile was the exact address, as well as a detailed medical history. Kenzel was able to immediately dispatch EMS to the address, and provide them with the patient's medical notes, which included details that the aid was not aware of.

"The way she kept saying the street name, I couldn't determine the spelling, and I could not find the road to dispatch the ambulance to," stated Kenzel, a dispatcher supervisor of 13 years. "Not only did the Smart911 profile provide the exact address, I was able to relay all of her medical information to the EMTs while they were en route. It saved both me and the EMTs several minutes in response time." 

In addition to the patient's medical history, the Safety Profile also included her doctor's name and the hospital that she needed to be transported to. That information was provided to the EMTs, as well as hospital personnel upon her arrival. 

"We are constantly encouraging our residents to create a profile with Smart911 for exactly this reason," said Lt. Matt Edwards. "Christy was able to use the information provided by the citizen to save time and answer questions for the responders before they even arrived at her location. The time saved may just have saved this woman's life."

"This is just another great example of how Arkansas' Smart911 system is making a positive difference in our communities," said Senate President, Jonathan Dismang. "We're proud to have Arkansas leading the nation in protecting our citizens across the state with Smart911."

Smart911 allows citizens to create a Safety Profile for their household that includes any information they want 9-1-1 and response teams to have in the event of an emergency. When a citizen makes an emergency call, their Safety Profile is automatically displayed to the 9-1-1 call taker, allowing them to send the right response teams to the right location with the right information. Responders can be aware of many details they would not have known previously. Fire crews can arrive at a house fire knowing how many people live in the home and location of bedrooms, EMS can be advised of allergies or specific medical conditions, and police can have the photo of a missing child in seconds rather than hours.    

"Smart911 has allowed Arkansas to better protect our communities," said State Representative, Tim Lemons. "We look forward to extending this life-saving service to our schools in the upcoming school year based on the Panic Button legislation passed this session."

Introduced nearly five years ago by Rave Mobile Safety, the most trusted software partner for campus and public safety, Smart911 has been adopted in 36 states and more than 1,000 municipalities. It is available statewide in Arkansas, and has been credited with positively affecting emergency situations such as a missing child in Pulaski County, a medical emergency in Ft. Smith and other incidents across the country. 

Residents are encouraged to create their Safety Profile with Smart911 today to have their information immediately available to 9-1-1. Smart911 data is private and secure, is only used for emergency responses and available to the 9-1-1 system in the event of an emergency call.

About Rave Mobile Safety
Rave Mobile Safety is the most trusted safety software partner, providing innovative communication software for better emergency preparedness and faster response. Used by leading education institutes, enterprises and state and local public safety agencies, the award-winning portfolio of Rave Alert, Rave Guardian, Eyewitness, Rave Panic Button, Smart911 and SmartPrepare protects millions of individuals. Rave Mobile Safety is headquartered in Framingham, MA. For more information, please visit http://www.ravemobilesafety.com.

Contact:
Marty Querzoli
Davies Murphy Group
Public Relations for Rave Mobile Safety
[email protected]
(781) 418-2433

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SOURCE Rave Mobile Safety