The end of December will mark 6-months since Otter Tail County began offering its Smart911 emergency alerts and enhanced 9-1-1 services system to area residents and visitors.
The system allows residents and travelers to receive localized weather and other emergency alerts and provides an opportunity to create a secured Safety Profile – including household, medical, vehicle, pet, and emergency contact information – which can be shared with emergency responders when 9-1-1 is called for assistance, said a news release from Otter Tail County.
Since May:
- 3,650 households have created Safety Profiles
- 2,300 9-1-1 callers seeking help have been more accurately located by the Sheriff’s Office
- 400 people have called 9-1-1 seeking help and their Safety Profile has been available to assist emergency responders.
- 3,000 residents and visitors have registered to receive tornado and severe thunderstorm alerts directly to their phone and/or computer
For those already registered and receiving alerts, the county reminds participants that after six-months of inactivity within their account, they will be asked to log in and confirm or update their information.
“The profile update reminders are a great way to ensure that everyone’s information remains accurate within the system, so we can know that all alerts are reaching the right person and the information emergency responders are provided is correct,” Otter Tail County Emergency Manager Patrick Waletzko said in a news release.
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Reminders are sent from Smart911 two weeks before the six-month date and continue once a week for a month after. If an account holder does not sign into their account by then, they are removed from the system.
Registration for Smart911 is available on the county website ottertailcountymn.us/content-page/smart911 or by contacting the County’s Emergency Management program at 218-998-8067. Assistance to update existing information is also available.
