Framingham Company Helps Milford Launches Smart 911 Service

Milford became the first community in the state Tuesday to launch Smart911, a free service for residents that will allow them to create a profile that will appear on an emergency dispatch screen if they need to call 911.

The service, provided by a Framingham-based company, is of particular interest to cell phone users because it is linked to phone numbers. About 70 percent of phone calls to the combined fire-police dispatch come from mobile phones, which do not trigger a specific location for the dispatcher.

Milford is paying for the program through drug forfeiture proceeds, said Police Chief Thomas O'Loughlin, who announced the new service at a press conference Tuesday morning.

Residents can create a "Safety Profile" as part of the service, detailing whatever information they want to share, including photos of family members, whether someone has a disability, particular medical information, emergency contact numbers, the location of bedrooms, number and location of pets, etc.

The information is not maintained or accessible to the police department, O'Loughlin emphasized, and appears on the dispatch screen only when the Smart911 user calls 911.

In the press conference, O'Loughlin and Fire Chief John Touhey said the additional information will help dispatchers aid emergency responders in understanding what they may encounter before they arrive at a scene.

For example, the Fire Department will know how many bedrooms are in the home, and how many people live there, and whether pets are in the home, too. The information provided in the profile can be updated by the account user at any time, and must be updated every six months.

"When an emergency arises, a caller sometimes can't communicate; often they can be too panicked to remember even their address," O'Loughlin said, in a statement. "Smart911 immediately provides 911 call talkers with details to better respond to many situations."

Milford has a five-year contract with the company that provides the software, Framingham-based Rave Mobile Safety. The service costs about $10,000 a year, which is being covered by grant funds and a drug forfeiture fund, O'Loughlin said. The Framingham company is headquartered at 50 Speen St.

Smart911 is in place in 29 states, and 350 communities. Once a person creates a profile, if they are in one of these locations and call 911, the information also will be visible to those dispatchers. To create a profile, visit the company website at Smart911.