Porter County Central Communications (911) is urging residents of Porter
County and surrounding areas to sign up for Smart911.
Smart911 can help responders serve the community better in an emergency.
When any registered phone is used to dial 911, dispatchers are automatically
provided with information that has been linked to that phone. Users can
register cell phones and landlines, entering pertinent information about
themselves, family members, their homes, automobiles, and even their pets.
The profile information is completely private and secure. The details are
voluntarily entered and only available to dispatchers and first responders
when a registered phone is used to dial 911.
The information provided to dispatch by Smart911 can help police officers
locate missing Alzheimer’s patients or autistic children, can alert EMS
teams to patients with chronic illness, and can advise fire responders of
how many people live in a home.
Porter County is currently the only area in Indiana offering this free
service that is supported by existing 911 technologies.
Because a Smart911 profile is accessible to any dispatch center in the
country that is set up to receive it, vehicle information linked to a cell
phone can be useful while traveling. Even non-residents can benefit if their
registered cell phone connects to Porter County Central Communications
during an emergency while visiting the area.
Everyone is urged to take advantage of this potentially life-saving service
by going to Smart911.com and creating a profile for their household.
Director of Communications, John M. Jokantas advised that he has his own
profile in the Smart911 system.
“There is so much you can include. Not only medical information, but also
information for the Fire Department in case there is a fire. The three most
significant items that stand out in my profile are where my gas shut off is,
the location of the electrical panel, and where the hydrants are from my
residence,” Jokantas said. “The nice thing is you can enter as much or as
little information as you feel comfortable with.”
To register or for questions regarding Smart911 go to www.smart911.com.
Questions regarding Porter County Central Communications can be sent to
911questions@porterco.org
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