Captain of the Michigan State Police Monica Yesh, Senator Margaret O’Brien, Lt. Governor Brian Calley, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, and Rave Mobile Safety Chief Product Officer Todd Piett
LANSING, Mich (PRWEB) November 15, 2016
Rave Mobile Safety (Rave), a trusted partner for safety software, today announced Michigan’s statewide initiative to make Smart911 available to all residents. Following successful deployments in dozens of 9-1-1 centers across the state, Michigan will make Smart911 standard across the Great Lakes State.
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During an event held yesterday in Macomb County, Lt. Governor Brian Calley was joined by Senator Margaret O’Brien, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, Captain of the Michigan State Police Monica Yesh and Dan Hoffman, Michigan Resident and Smart911 Survivor at the event, to make the official announcement of the new initiative.
Smart911 is a comprehensive software program that facilitates data and communications in the event of a 9-1-1 call. With Smart911, Michiganders can create an extensive online profile, which displays to dispatchers when a 9-1-1 call is made. Critical information such as home address, bedroom location, pet information, medical details and whether households include people with dementia or children with autism can all be provided and can improve response.
“In emergency situations, every minute counts and enhancing 9-1-1 services across our state is essential to protecting the lives of Michiganders,” said Brian Calley, Lt. Governor of Michigan. “Services like Smart911 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.”
Residents are encouraged to create free Safety Profiles on Smart911.com, a secure information platform that instantly tells 9-1-1 dispatchers vital information that can speed emergency response times. When an individual dials 9-1-1, their completed Safety Profile will automatically display.
For individuals using mobile devices in an emergency, the platform’s Chat component is fast becoming a 9-1-1 safety game changer. 9-1-1 centers around the country are using the 2-way texting capability to save victims of domestic violence, potential suicides and home invasions. It also provides concrete budget savings by reducing the number of unnecessary law enforcement dispatches.
“Cell phones are widely used in today’s world, but that poses unique challenges for 9-1-1 centers,” said Senator O’Brien. “Currently more than 70 percent of 9-1-1 calls come from cell phones, but those calls provide very little information for dispatchers to use. Smart911 allows our state to innovate in light of current technology trends and save lives while doing so.”
Traverse City resident Dan Hoffman expressed his gratitude for the role Smart911 played in helping responders locate and save him from his burning home. “I wouldn’t be here today, be able to hug my girls without Smart911. It saved 11 minutes off the response time to my call for help and allowed the heroic responders to extract me from my burning home.”
“The capabilities provided with Smart911 have revolutionized our response process,” said Tim Smith, Executive Director Ottawa County 911. “The Chat feature of the platform is a lifeline to those who are unable to communicate and proven to be lifesaving in domestic violence incidents and suicidal subjects across the state. The platform has also helped lower costs by reducing unnecessary law enforcement dispatches and our responders have additional information about the locations into which they are entering, increasing their safety and speeding their response.”
Smart911 is currently available across portions of 43 states and thousands of municipalities across the country, and has been credited with positively impacting countless emergency situations.
“We applaud the state of Michigan for bringing greater safety and peace-of-mind to residents and for their commitment to improving public safety,” said Tom Axbey, president and CEO of Rave Mobile Safety. “By partnering with public safety agencies statewide, we can save more lives together.”
Michigan residents are encouraged to create their free, private, and secure Safety Profiles with Smart911 today at https://www.smart911.com/.
About Rave Mobile Safety
Rave Mobile Safety, the most trusted safety software partner, provides innovative communication software for better emergency preparedness and faster response. Used by leading education institutes, enterprises and state and local public safety agencies, the award-winning portfolio of Rave Alert, Rave Guardian, Eyewitness, Rave Panic Button, Smart911 and SmartPrepare protects millions of individuals. Rave Mobile Safety is headquartered in Framingham, MA. For more information, please visit https://www.ravemobilesafety.com.