Smart911 gives Nassau residents upload options to gain assistance

Nassau police have launched an enhanced method of handling 911 calls.

The county has entered into an agreement with Rave Mobile Safety of Massachusetts for access to Smart911, a Web-based public safety service, officials said Wednesday at the department's Public Safety Center in Westbury.

Smart911 will allow users to create a profile linked to their cellphones.

With it, they can provide their home address, upload pictures of themselves and family members as well as provide information on medical issues for anyone in the family that responders would find useful in the event of an emergency.

The information would only be provided to 911 operators when the user calls 911.

County Executive Edward Mangano said 70 percent of the 911 calls the county receives come from mobile devices, but residents may also be able to provide landlines to the system.

Residents can pick and choose what information they want emergency workers to know, Mangano said.

"Every household has different needs," he said. "Smart911 allows you to customize your profile to your household. You choose what information you provide to us."

All the information would be maintained by Smart911, not the police department, Mangano said.

The service will cost the county $250,000 a year from county operating funds, acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter said.

"This system will save lives," Krumpter said.

Jessica Rose, community marketing manager for Smart911, said the service is used in 1,000 communities in 37 states, among them Suffolk County's Fire Rescue and Emergency Services.

Rose said the service came in handy for a woman in Kentucky who during a snowstorm was left stranded after her car was pushed to the side of the road. When the woman called 911 the signal was spotty so the operator was unable to hear her.

"Her profile came up and the operator had mapping software, so emergency crews were able to locate her based on the vehicle information that came from her profile," Rose said.

Residents interested in signing up can access the service by going to the Nassau police website at www.police.co.nas sau.ny.us or through Smart 911.com.