Last Friday, PublicCEO ran an editorial calling attention to the current deficiencies in 911 emergency response systems across the state. Culver City has taken matters into their own hands. Mayor Jeff Cooper writes a quick note to PublicCEO in order to explain how his city’s residents are safer thanks to their innovative response system.
Culver City is again leading the way in protecting its citizens and using technology to do it.
In March, Culver City became the first city in the state to adopt the Smart911 system, a system that allows residents to provide Culver City Police and Fire Departments with information about themselves and their homes that will be displayed to 911 operators during an emergency.
Our firefighters can find out how many pets are in the home, how many bedrooms are in the home and even get medical profiles of residents before they arrive on-scene. Our police officers can access photos of the people who live at the location, find our what language is spoken by residents and more. As a result, our emergency personnel are better prepared to deal with what they will find and are able to assess and address situations much more quickly.
Imagine knowing en-route to a medical call that the individual who called 9-1-1 is a diabetic, has a peanut allergy or is deaf. Every piece of information we can provide to our first responders means they will be able to do their jobs faster and more effectively.
Residents can sign up for the service free of charge at www.smart911.com and can be comfortable knowing that any information they provide is secure can only be accessed in an emergency. Residents can provide as much or as little information as they like.
However, the more information we can put in the hands of emergency responders prior to an emergency, the more knowledgeable those responders will be when addressing the situation. Smart911 will not only help protect Culver City residents, but will likely save lives.
I am proud that our community has taken this huge step forward in doing all we can to keep Culver City safe.