Public safety dispatchers say app saves time in an emergency, when seconds count

July 19, 2021 5:32 PM

Posted: July 19, 2021 5:32 PM

YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. — Yakima County public safety dispatchers are using a new app to make 911 calls more efficient and are asking community members to get involved.
Residents can download the Smart911 app for free and input personal information that will help dispatchers find their house, contact them in case of an emergency and help prepare first responders to assist residents in a crisis.

“It can be really useful if for some reason you’re not able to talk on the phone or give us all the information that we need or you just don’t remember because you’re in the middle of a crisis,” said Nicole McInnis, a public safety dispatcher at SunComm911 Communications in Yakima County.
While law enforcement’s Spillman record management system retains information from previous contacts with police, when someone calls 911, it takes dispatchers time to piece all the information together. With Smart911, the caller’s information automatically appears on the dispatcher’s screen.
“Some examples include medical conditions, if your children have special needs,” McInnis said. “We are definitely going to send people regardless, but it helps to know what kinds of help may be needed.”
Officers can verify addresses and identities if someone attempts to prank call the police with a false crime report or use contact information connected to an address to get ahold of a homeowner to let them know about an emergency on their property.
If someone calls 911 in the middle of a medical emergency or a violent attack and is no longer able to speak, dispatchers can see the address associated with the caller’s phone number and send first responders immediately. It also allows dispatchers to send a text directly to the person calling, rather than waiting to receive a text.

“It gets help to the person who needs it quicker and it gets help potentially to the next person calling 911 because the call taker’s not tied up looking multi layers of our records management system to try to help the first person,” Yakima Police Capt. Shawn Boyle said.
In case of a house fire, firefighters can see how many people live in the home, whether there are any pets inside or even locations of various obstacles that could impede their ability to get inside the home.
If someone at the home has a medical condition, disability, special needs or mental health concerns that first responders should be aware of when responding to an emergency, people can include that information in their Smart911 profile.
“If you can let the officers know, it would be safer for them responding and safer for the people that they’re going to be contacting on the other end to be able to provide the best service to them with minimal intrusion into their personal lives,” Boyle said.
People can input as little or as much information as they want, including information about the household and its members, medical conditions, medications, vehicles, pets, service animals, allergies and anything else

The Smart911 app can also notify users of weather, traffic, crime and other emergencies happening in their area.
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BERNALILLO — Sandoval County Fire Chief Eric Masterson looks to improve and expand emergency communications for more remote sections of the county, including Jemez Springs, Cuba and Regina.

Masterson told the Sandoval County Commission during Thursday’s meeting at the county administration building that the county Emergency Management Office, part of the fire department, plans to utilize state funding to build the program and look at additional funding sources to expand it even more.

He said the department’s striving for those communication signals to be broadcasted with more clarity and less static. Masterson also told the board his department’s working to address the issue of what he called “dead space” in areas like Jemez Springs.

“Jemez Springs is in the middle of a canyon, so getting radio signals down into it is challenging. We’re looking at additional tower sites, and we’re looking at additional Wi-Fi router-type capability that would be able to make sure that Jemez Springs is covered as well,” he told the Observer following the meeting. “If we can find a couple tower sites that we can shoot a signal up into the canyon, that’s our best bet. If there’s just no sites available, there are other technology options like utilizing cell phone carriers.”

He told the board the Navajo Nation suggested its towers can be utilized.
Sandoval County’ s newest Fire Chief Eric Masterson.

Masterson told the Observer his department needs to have such working partnerships in the area, adding it should explore other infrastructure that may be available and take advantage of it.

He told the board his department invested $4 million for the project long-term. The program will abide by state and Federal Communications Commission guidelines, he said, and the state will contact the department if an issue arises.

Masterson told the board once his department programs everything for the new system, it’ll be like flipping a switch to talk on a state radio system. If it suddenly doesn’t work, however, it can be switched back to the current system to talk to dispatch and address problems.

Masterson also told the board the maintenance cost would be $20 per radio each month.

County Commissioner Jay Block inquired about testing data. Masterson replied he’s working with Motorola and looking into how other states are implementing their systems.

As far as various logistics go, including dealing with inclement weather, Commission Chairman David Heil requested that Masterson iron those out for the next commission meeting.