Ambulance Service Offering Smart911 to Salem Residents

Cataldo, which provide emergency response services in the City of Salem, has worked to implement and support Smart911 on all 9-1-1 calls. On their one year anniversary with Smart 911, Cataldo Ambulance encourages the public, residents and travelers to create a free Safety Profile. Smart 911 is an enhanced 9-1-1 service that provides more immediate lifesaving information to the call takers and allows citizens to provide emergency responders with vital information before an emergency even happens.

"Emergency situations are often the worst moments of a person's life," said Chuck Fothergill, Director of PSAP and Communications Infrastructure at Cataldo Ambulance.  "The additional information provided in a Smart911 Safety Profile can speak for residents and enables us to know exactly where we are responding to and what medical assistance is necessary. Those details can help us respond faster and more efficiently."

Smart911 allows citizens to create a Safety Profile at www.smart911.com for their entire household that includes any information they feel is relevant to 9-1-1 and response teams to have in the event of an emergency. When a citizen makes an emergency call, their Safety Profile is automatically displayed to the 9-1-1 call taker, allowing them to send the right response teams to the right location with the right resources and information.

"Information from these safety profiles is extremely valuable on a mobile phone call" said Chuck. "Mobile phones do not provide an address to the 9-1-1 call taker. In situations like a house fire or medical emergency, seconds matter and the additional information in a Safety Profile can help responders in the field for a more detailed and rapid response."

Residents can link both home and work addresses to mobile phones as well as landlines, which can make a significant difference when a caller is unable to communicate. Medical conditions, medications in the home, primary care physician and preferred hospital system is crucial information that can be included in the Safety Profile. Additional information such as vehicle details in the event of an accident and even emergency contacts can also be included in the Safety Profile. All information is optional and the citizen has the ability to choose which details they would like to include. 

Smart911 is currently available in 40 states and more than 1,500 municipalities across the country, and has been credited with positively impacting emergency outcomes including a missing child in which the child's photo and physical description were immediately available to 9-1-1 and responders. Smart911 also allows 9-1-1 call takers to text back to dropped calls or when a caller doesn't speak. This allows people to communicate even when they don't feel safe to speak, such as during a home invasion or situations of domestic violence.

Citizens are encouraged to create their Safety Profile with Smart911 today to have their information immediately available to 9-1-1 and to receive emergency notifications. Smart911 is private and secure. It is only used for emergency responses and only made available to the 9-1-1 system in the event of an emergency call. Sign up today at www.smart911.com.

For questions regarding Smart911, please contact: Chuck Fothergill, Director of PSAP and Communications Infrastructure Cataldo Ambulance Service at 781-873-4313.