SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – Spartanburg County 911 wants more residents to use Smart911, a service that gives first responders access to callers’ information in emergency situations. The county pays $78,000 annually for the service, which is free for residents to use.
Users can create profiles for themselves and family members. The profiles can contain as much – or as little – information as users choose: First responders say knowledge of addresses, medical conditions and number of family members can help them respond to emergencies more quickly and efficiently.
“The biggest challenge for call-takers is putting the story together to figure out what exactly is going on,” Mike Flynn, Spartanburg 911 director, said. “Sometimes, the ancillary data that we don’t have access to is key to the event that’s happening.”
Flynn said he hopes Smart911 can fill in gaps to lead to better responses.
Interested residents can create a free profile here.
“You choose how much information you want to put in,” Spartanburg Police Major Art Littlejohn said. “You can put a lot of information, or very little.”
