New Technology Lets Tulsans Plan Ahead In Case Of Emergency

Tulsa police are using new technology to be as prepared as possible when responding to calls.

It's an online profile you can fill out to give police specific instructions if they ever get called to your house in an emergency.

To sing up for Smart911, you can go online and fill out a profile which gives police the information you'd want them to have in an emergency; and who knows how big of a help that could be.

Madelyn Tackett loves her dogs, and in the event of an emergency, she wants Penny and Stevie to be protected.

"I mean, they're like my babies. My dogs are like my kids. I don't have kids yet, so if there was a fire and I wasn't home and police and fire were responding, I would want my dogs to get out for sure," she said.

It's one of many benefits, Tulsa Police say, to using Smart911 - a private online database, where you can plug in your personal information to pop up for police if they're ever called to your house.

Tulsa Police officer Leland Ashley said, "You know, it just gives all the information a person would want, and it could help an officer in route to a call."

Ashley said, when you call 911, Smart911 recognizes your number from your profile and pulls it up for dispatchers who can then digitally send the information to the responding officer.

That way, police will have your name, your pet's name, pictures, medical history and more.

Tackett said, "I have asthma and pretty bad asthma, and, so, if first responders knew that, or if I was allergic to any medication, I think that would be a really good insight."

"You know a lot of kids with autism, the lights or sirens from a police officer kind of agitates them. Well, if you know that coming in, let's go ahead and turn our lights off, our sirens off," Ashley said.

Police are able to share that information with firefighters and paramedics on scene.

Bartlesville police use Smart911 and so does the entire state of Arkansas. Now, Tulsans, like Tackett, can use it too.

"Yeah, I think it's a great investment," she said.

Smart911 cost the department more than $300,000 for a five-year subscription. It was paid for with police forfeiture funds.

You can sign up here.