Police, Fire Chiefs to Unveil Smart911 System

DeKalb County residents can sign up for Smart911, which tells dispatchers details that can be crucial to help emergency responders, such as how many bedrooms a house has in case of a fire, or what medical conditions residents have.

Public Safety Deputy Chief Operating Officer Dr. Cedric Alexander, Interim Police Chief James Conroy and Fire Chief Darnell Fullum are slated to announce the County’s implementation of Smart911 at 2 p.m. today in a demonstration at DeKalb County Police headquarters in Tucker.

Smart911 allows residents to create a Safety Profile at www.smart911.com for their household that includes any information they want 9-1-1 and response teams to have in case of an emergency. When someone makes an emergency call, their Safety Profile is automatically displayed to the 9-1-1 call taker.

That gives emergency responders information they would not have known previously. For example, fire crews can arrive at a house fire knowing how many people live in the home and the location of bedrooms, EMS can be told of allergies or specific medical conditions, and police can have the photo of a missing child in seconds rather than minutes or hours.  

Smart911 is a national service, meaning that once a resident creates a Safety Profile, and dials 9-1-1 anywhere in the country where Smart911 service has been activated, their Safety Profile will be available to 9-1-1 call takers, according to a news release. In Georgia, Smart911 is already available in several municipalities, providing an additional benefit for residents who may live in one location but work in another.