SWRCC Celebrates Anniversary of Smart911 Launch by Encouraging Citizens to Create Safety Profiles for More Effective Emergency Response

DESOTO, Texas, June 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Southwest Regional Communications Center (SWRCC) marked the one year anniversary of its launch of Smart911 by encouraging those citizens that haven't yet created a Safety Profile to do so. Rave Mobile Safety's Smart911 is a public/private partnership creating a first-of-its-kind critical caller database that now helps citizens and emergency responders across 23 states. Currently, when 9-1-1 receives a call, only a phone number and minimal levels of location data are displayed. With Smart 911, citizens create a Safety Profile online consisting of additional data about themselves and family members which is automatically displayed to 9-1-1 call-takers during emergencies. The result is far greater emergency response effectiveness and saved lives.

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The SWRCC is a consolidated communications center that serves the communities of Cedar Hill, DeSoto and Duncanville, answering 9-1-1 calls and integrating with the Police and Fire Departments of each city. The SWRCC launched Smart911 in June of 2011, making Texas the 7th state in the U.S. to offer the service.  As a result of such public safety examples, Smart911 has grown to protect millions of citizens in 23 states.

"All citizens should take a few minutes to create a Smart Safety Profile because it is going to help us be much more effective in helping them and their families," said Janet Sanders of the SWRCC. "These can detail medical conditions and disabilities that help dispatchers understand why a caller might be uncommunicative, expediting and supporting EMT response. They can let fire crews know how many residents are at a home, and, locations of bedrooms. Police can be alerted to potential threats and photos can facilitate the search for a missing child. In a 9-1-1 emergency, more information means greater effectiveness, saving invaluable time and lives."

Smart911 is a nation-wide service that is 100 percent private and secure. Paid for by the municipality, citizens can create their Safety Profile at www.Smart911.com, entering vital data they want made available on themselves and family members, a residence, even pets. This can include data on medical conditions, disabilities and/or special needs, children's photos, home addresses of cellphone callers, floor plans and other pertinent information. Smart911 delivers this information automatically to 9-1-1 call-takers, enabling responders to be more effective because they have access to critical health and logistics information before arriving at the scene of an emergency.

A number of public service groups advocating for persons with disabilities and/or special needs have strongly endorsed the SWRCC's use of Smart911, including the Epilepsy Foundation and Autism Speaks. "For citizens with epilepsy, it is critical that response teams have the proper information on their condition and treatment.  The ability to include these details in their personal Safety Profile is a great benefit to these individuals because it gives both them and their families peace of mind that should an emergency occur, 9-1-1 and responders will have the information they need to treat them," said Donna Stahlhut, CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation Texas.  "We encourage our families and their care-givers to create their Safety Profile to ensure first responders act promptly and appropriately."

"The SWRCC deserves a great deal of credit for adopting a system early-on that is fast-becoming a public safety standard," said Tom Axbey, president and CEO, Rave Mobile Safety. "Their commitment to delivering the most effective emergency services to area citizens is abundantly clear. Their example has helped other municipalities realize how detailed information can dramatically improve emergency outcomes. We thank the SWRCC for their vision, and as this public/private partnership expands, look forward to increasing public safety nationwide."

About Rave Mobile Safety

Rave Mobile Safety is the most trusted software partner for campus and public safety. Used by leading Institutes of Higher Education and State and Local Agencies, the award-winning portfolio of RaveAlert, RaveGuardian, Eyewitness, Smart911 and SmartPrepare enables millions to feel safe, secure and connected. Rave Mobile Safety is headquartered in Framingham, MA. For more information please visit www.ravemobilesafety.com

Contact:
Marty Querzoli
Davies Murphy Group
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SOURCE Rave Mobile Safety