The city of Cincinnati has taken steps to improve response times of the emergency services in the wake of a tragic incident that resulted in the death of a 16-year old student at Seven Hills School.
On April 10, Kyle Plush became trapped under the rear seat of his Honda Odyssey. He attempted to contact emergency services multiple times to request help but died from asphyxiation in the back of his minivan. His body was not discovered for several hours.
The incident has prompted the city to take steps to improve safety for its residents and ensure the emergency services have access to critical information to help first responders locate and provide treatment to citizens in emergency situations.
On July 12, Cincinnati implemented Rave Mobile Safety’s Smart911 service. The Smart911 service allows individuals to register a range of information with the emergency services to accelerate response times.
Users of the Smart911 service can register their contact information, photographs, medical information such as blood type and allergies, languages spoken, details of pets and service animals, emergency contact information, car data and other information.
When a call is placed to the emergency services from a mobile phone or landline registered through the Smart911 service, the system recognizes the number and provides the emergency services with all the information that has been previously registered. Citizens can register as much or as little information as they wish.
This information can prepare first responders and ensure appropriate medical treatment can be administered in the shortest possible time frame. Having access to photographs can help the emergency services identify victims of crime and locate missing persons, and the emergency services can be provided with invaluable information to help people with disabilities.
In the event of a fire, the system can provide fire crews with information about the number of residents in a building and the location of the bedrooms, ensuring they know exactly where to go. The system also allows the emergency services to send text messages to a mobile phone, such as when a caller is unable to communicate verbally.
In the case of Kyle Plush, the emergency services would have had immediate access to the make and model of his car, which could have allowed him to be found in time to save his life.
As explained on ABC’s Good Moring America, the Smart911 service is “The Personal Safety Game Changer.”
The Smart911 system is voluntary and free of charge for citizens to use. Information in the system is kept secure at all times and is only ever disclosed to the emergency services when a registered user of the service makes a 911 call from a phone number detailed in that user’s profile.
All Cincinnati residents are being encouraged to sign up for the service and register their information, which will be entered into the national safety database. Currently more than 1,500 municipalities in 40 states are using the Smart911 service.