The Lake County Public Safety Department is encouraging residents to sign up for the Smart911 Network, which allows people to proactively provide crucial information to first responders before an emergency occurs.
“Safety starts at home,” said Gregory Holcomb, Division Manager/E911 Coordinator. “That is why we are asking Lake County citizens to sign up for this service and to encourage their family members, friends and neighbors to do so as well.”
Lake County’s Smart911 program allows people to create free safety profiles consisting of household information that could be vital during an emergency. The profiles can contain contact information, residents’ medical conditions, photos of family members and the home’s floor plans.
Lake County E-911 joined the Smart911 Network in August 2012 to improve emergency services to residents. Smart911 is a national network, so anytime a citizen dials 911 across the country and the call is answered by a local Smart911 supported center, their profile will be available. This could make the dispatcher privy to crucial, possibly life-saving information.
“The more information provide to the Smart911 Network, the better,” Holcomb added. “An emergency is a chaotic time for all parties involved, so planning ahead by providing vital information to dispatchers can greatly help our first responders be better prepared when they arrived to a scene.”
Those interested in creating a safety profile can do so by visiting www.smart911.com. Each profile is private and only available to dispatchers during an emergency call.
For more information about Smart911, call the Lake County Public Safety Department at 352-253-1818 or visit www.lakecountyfl.gov/departments/public_safety/.
