[Archived] City of Alexandria Adds “Smart911” Service to Aid Emergency Response

For Immediate Release: September 21, 2017

The City of Alexandria has joined the nationwide “Smart911” service, which lets residents, businesses and visitors provide information to 911 dispatchers in advance of emergencies.

The free Smart911 service allows individuals and businesses to create online safety profiles with home, workplace and mobile phone numbers, along with additional information that would be valuable to dispatchers and first responders during an emergency. This information often includes home or work addresses, details about medical conditions, hazardous materials on the property, pets, and emergency contacts. Users are prompted to update their safety profiles every six months to ensure their information remains accurate. Even with a safety profile, it is still important that 911 callers, particularly those with mobile phones, provide their current locations to dispatchers at the start of each call.

Smart911 safety profiles are kept confidential and secure, and are only available to trained dispatchers in participating 911 centers across the country. This allows dispatchers to access profile information for traveling mobile phone users, and makes it easy for landline customers to update profiles with new numbers after moving. Smart911 is currently available in more than 1,500 communities in the U.S., across 40 states.

For more information and frequently asked questions, and to create a Smart911 safety profile, visit www.alexandriava.gov/911.  For assistance, please call 703.746.HELP (4357).

For media inquiries, contact Andrea J. Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.