YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Staff from the York County 911 Center will be traveling throughout the community in March to explain the importance of signing up for Smart911, answer questions and to assist with the sign-up process.
Smart911 is a new, life-saving program offered by the York County Department of Emergency Services to the community. It is meant to help improve the response residents receive in an emergency by allowing people to provide critical information to 911 dispatchers before an emergency arises.
Individuals can sign up independently by creating a free, secure online profile at www.smart911.com. The profile is tied to the user`s phone number and immediately becomes available to dispatchers when the user calls 911. It contains largely the same information as users would give verbally to a 911 dispatcher, but is provided calmly before an emergency arises.
For those who would like more information or help with the process, staff from the York County 911 Center will be visiting local senior centers throughout March.
Although the meetings are hosted at senior centers, all members of the community regardless of age or affiliation with each center are encouraged to attend.
Reservations are not required. Attendees can stop by each senior center at any point during the hours when 911 staff will be present. There is never any cost associated with the Smart911 program.
The meetings are scheduled as follows:
• Thursday, March 10, Delta Area Senior Center, 5 Pendyrus Street, Suite 1 in Delta, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 16, Red Land Senior Center, 736 Wyndamere Road in Lewisberry, from 12:30 p.m. until 3 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 22, Heritage Senior Center, 3700-4 Davidsburg Road in Dover, from 10:15 a.m. until 1:15 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 23, Red Lion Area Senior Center, 20-C Gotham Place
(North Main Street Extended) in Red Lion, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
• Thursday, March 31, Windy Hill on the Campus, 1472 Roths Church Road, Suite 103 in Spring Grove, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
The amount of information users provide in a Smart911 profile is entirely at a user’s discretion, but examples include:
• Information about medical conditions that may be crucial to emergency medical staff.
• Information on mobility problems or physical/developmental disabilities that can change the way responders handle a call.
o For example, residents can advise if there is an individual in a residence who needs assistance to exit the property.
• Emergency contacts, which ensures responders quickly can contact a your family or friends in case of an vehicle accident or other emergency
• Information about pets, which can lead to greater safety not only for the pet but also for response agencies.
• Photos and descriptions of children, which can help law enforcement locate the child if he/she becomes missing or is abducted.
The information residents provide is stored securely and is not searchable through the Internet or even by 911 dispatchers. It is only available to the 911 Center dispatcher when you contact 911, and only for 45 minutes.
