Enhanced 911 services that can save lives are now available to communities all across Michigan with funding from the Fiscal Year 2017 budget, announced Lt. Gov. Brian Calley.
Adding enhanced 911 services was a recommendation of the Mental Health and Wellness Commission, providing dispatchers with access to helpful background information about an individual that can be useful and cut down on response time during an emergency situation.
“In emergency situations, every minute counts and enhancing 911 services across our state is essential to protecting the lives of Michiganders,” Calley said. “Services like Smart 911 help us advance the tools that our dispatchers can use to help save lives on a daily basis. State funding will help communities across our state take advantage of this program and have extra resources to help save lives in emergencies.”
Calley made the announcement Monday with Michigan State Police and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel in Mt. Clemens at the Macomb County Communications and Technology Center.
“This cutting-edge technology will enable emergency personnel to move quickly and effectively respond to 911 calls from cell phones,” Hackel said.
The Fiscal Year 2017 budget includes $2.2 million for expanded 911 services and Michigan State Police has finalized the agreement for these services with Rave Mobility, allowing dispatch centers across the state to enroll in the program this year without charge to the community.
“Smart 911 ensures first responders are able to better protect our communities,” said state Sen. Margaret O’Brien, R-Portage. “The resources Smart911 offers allow Michigan residents to share information about their home and loved ones that they believe first responders need to know.”
The State of Michigan is working with Rave Mobility to provide its Smart 911 service program to all communities statewide.
“The state of Michigan is a proven leader in public safety and we are proud to be a part of the Lieutenant Governor’s announcement today.” said Tom Axbey, president and CEO of Rave Mobile Safety. “Now first responder agencies across the state have the tools they need to arrive on scene faster and ultimately save lives.”
Smart 911 is an additional data platform that dispatchers will have access to when a 911 call is made. Residents can create a free safety profile and enter information that may be helpful when a 911 call is made. The service also provides 911 call takers and dispatchers with the ability to communicate through text message with any caller that dials 911 from a mobile phone.
Monday’s event included Dan Hoffman from the Traverse City area, whose life was saved after dispatchers used his Smart 911 profile to locate him while his home was on fire. He was unable to speak when he called 911 and his location on the Grand Traverse Bay wasn’t easy to identify but his address information was in his Smart 911 profile. Dispatchers were able to use this information and save 11 minutes of response time to rescue him from the fire in his home.
There are 144 Public Safety Answering Points in Michigan and 32 of them are already using Smart 911. The $2.2 million in funding allows all of these areas to utilize this service in 2017.
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