Crime & Safety

Stoughton Police Encouraging Residents to use Smart911

Citizens are asked to start a Safety Profile for faster, more effective emergency response.

The Stoughton Police Department this week announced that a service known as Smart911 is now available to all residents. 

The service is free and allows residents to create a "safety profile" for their homes, on which they can include any information they may want 9-1-1 dispatchers and first-responders to have in the event of an emergency. If a resident needs to dial 9-1-1, their safety profile would immediately display on the dispatcher's screen, saving what could be critical seconds in an emergency situation. 

"When you call 9-1-1, even the simplest of details can be difficult to communicate in a time of panic," Stoughton Police Chief Paul Shastany said. "By creating a safety profile before an emergency happens, they are ensuring that we will have the information we need even if they can't communicate it."

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With the service, first responders will be aware of details they would not have otherwise known, according to the announcement, and fire crews can arrive at a house fire knowing how many people live in the home, as well as the location of the bedrooms. Moreover, emergency medical service crews can obtain details on allergies or specific medical conditions, and police could obtain a photo of a missing child within seconds. 

"At a time when more and more people are relying on cell phones to communicate, which only provide limited information on a 9-1-1 call, it's critical that we can effectively utilize available technology to better respond to those individuals," Sastany said. "Smart911 does this by automatically displaying the caller's safety profile to the 9-1-1 dispatcher."

Find out what's happening in Stoughtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The service has so far been adopted in 33 states and in more than 450 communities, including Milford, Framingham, Medford and Blackstone. 

To sign up for Smart911, click here.


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