Powhatan County residents will have the ability to create a free Emergency Health Profile at emergencyprofile.org to share opt-in medical information with Powhatan County 911 (Public Safety Communications) Department in the case of an emergency. Emergency technology company, RapidSOS, teamed up with The American Heart Association, The American Red Cross, and Direct Relief to launch this initiative in an effort to get first responders vital information in an emergency, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This Health Portal is supported and maintained by Rapid SOS. Powhatan County 911 only uses this health portal data as an approved entity.
The nation’s 911 infrastructure was built in the 1960s for landline phones, requiring individuals to verbally speak critical data to responders in an emergency. To address this challenge, RapidSOS’s emergency response data platform links real-time health and location information from connected devices, apps, and profiles with 911, providing context beyond what the caller in the crisis is able to convey. This data helps Powhatan 911 Communication Officers accelerate response and provides first responders with life-saving information.
Powhatan 911 has been an active RapidSOS user for two years. Their call-takers use the RapidSOS Portal, a free browser-based tool, to access accurate location and additional life-saving information when responding to mobile 911 calls.
Thomas Nolan, Powhatan’s Public Safety 911 Communications Director said, “Being able to receive a caller’s opt-in health information will better inform our staff during an emergency response. I urge our community to become RapidSOS Ready by creating their free Emergency Health Profile, ensuring they are able to share critical data with 911 (when making a mobile-911call) to help protect lives.”
People can create their free RapidSOS Ready Emergency Health Profile at emergencyprofile.org and enter pertinent medical and profile information, such as:
- Name, DOB, and address
- Pre-existing conditions
- Allergies
- Medical notes
- COVID-19 symptoms
- Emergency contacts
“Our 911 agencies and first responders do incredible work every day to keep our communities safe,” said RapidSOS Senior Director of Public Safety, Karin Marquez. “We hope that the Emergency Health Profile will provide Powhatan 911 Communication Officers and first responders with another tool to help them respond quickly and with appropriate care.”
To ensure data privacy, information is associated with an individual’s mobile phone number and is only made available to first responders when a mobile 911 call is placed from the associated phone number. To learn more and create a free emergency profile, visit www.emergencyprofile.org.
