GSPD Encourages the Community to Sign Up With the Program Smart911

GRAND SALINE--Emergencies are inevitable. Right now, if you call 911 they are going to do the best they can to get you the help you need. Whether it be a fire or medical issue, their main goal is to get to you as fast as they can. Not always is it that easy. Listening to the scanner, you sometimes will hear firefighters having trouble finding a residence that could possibly be fully engulfed. Time is a factor when getting to the residence. With the program Smart911, finding a residence will no longer be an issue.
The 911 caller Smart911 is a service that may help someone to be safer and more prepared when an emergency happens.

Smart911 helps in three ways.

1) The first way Smart911 can help you to create a Safety Profile. Your Safety Profile:

a) Gives the 911 Operator important information about you and your family members.

b) Shows up on the 911 Operator’s computer screen when you call from a phone number you entered when signing up for Smart911.

c) Is only made available to emergency responders, such as firefighters

and police officers when you call 911.

d) Helps emergency responders help you.

You can also create a profile for a group setting like a household or family Safety Profile.

2) The second way Smart911 can help is during an emergency. If an emergency happens in Van Zandt County, you will get emergency alerts through your phone that tells you what is happening.

3) The third way Smart911 can help is by helping Van Zandt County emergency managers respond to an emergency, such as a wildfire. If you share information about your preparedness (the Address Details section of Smart911), your emergency manager can find out if you have what you need to be safe and he/she can use your Profile information for planning purposes when there is an emergency near you. For example, after a windstorm that caused power outage, people with powered medical devices were contacted by emergency managers to see if they needed any help.
When signing up for Smart911, you have the option of listing every pet/livestock/service animal you have, and their information with a photo (if needed) to upload. In the event that there is an emergency such as a fire, the fire department will be notified if you have a pet/livestock/service animal you have living at your residence or on your property, and better yet, what they look like. This makes rescuing a lot easier, and more successful.
To sign up for Smart911, visit https://www.smart911.com/smart911/registration/registrationLanding.action?cdnExternalPath= or go to smart911.com, and then click the “SIGN UP” button on your right hand side.
If you have any questions, please feel free to message the Grand Saline Police Department on Facebook to better answer your questions.