Smart911 emergency profiles provide first responders with more information, faster

Since the first full time fire department was established in Cincinnati in 1853, emergency responders have raced into unknown scenarios with limited advance information when the firehouse bell rings—until now.

Among the many advancements of next-generation 911 dispatch systems, Smart911, an app developed by Rave Mobile Safety, automatically displays resident profiles during an emergency—including details like medical or mental health notes, such as a child with autism, pets living in the residence or the specific location of a building’s electrical box—giving them a better understanding of what to expect before they arrive.

“We use this on a daily basis,” said Joel Vetter, chief of fire rescue services at Suffolk County Fire in New York, highlighting the ability to open a live chat box with those who text 911 and geographical cell phone locating as some of the most utilized features offered. The chat feature lets dispatchers triage calls, contact friends or family members and, if appropriate, connect callers to other agencies that can best meet their needs (if they’re not experiencing a true emergency situation).

As an example, Vetter recalled responding to “a silver alert last year—the son of the person was actually a paramedic in our system,” he said. “Within 30 minutes, they were able to find his father, who had wandered,” via geolocation.

In his coverage area of around 1.5 million people, with around 42,000 fire and EMS calls per month, Vetter said about 56,000 profiles have been set up by residents. While at first glance that might not seem like a great percentage of the region’s population, he noted that profiles are created based on households as opposed to individual people.

“My family profile is one of those,” he said. “It’s my house, a family of six; it’s my parents across the street.” In total, 35 people, with phone numbers and other pertinent details added, are linked to Vetter’s profile.

Smart911 profiles are created voluntarily by residents. They can also be created by visiting health care workers or mental health organizations on behalf of at-risk patients. A description on the app’s website describes that, if a user calls 911, the Smart911 system recognizes the phone number “and automatically displays your profile on the screen of the call taker who receives your call. At a time when you may be panicked, or unable to communicate, or it could be unsafe to communicate, Smart911 ensures that the details you would need to tell 911 are immediately available in the event you cannot verbally provide them.”

Since the start of the pandemic, Vetter noted they’ve increased the number of subscribers by around 20,000 people through a concerted educational effort. Electric bills, for example, include a pamphlet on the importance of creating a profile. 

“We have really partnered,” Vetter said, noting, “COVID has allowed us to tear down some of those walls.”

In his career. Vetter says he’s seen huge strides taken in the emergency management and telecommunication field. Smart911 is a good representation of the power that modern technology can provide to fire responders. 

“In my 30 years of doing this, I remember when people would refer to rolodexes,” Vetter said. “The system has come (along) in a way that now we’re able to integrate in so many different components.”