Layton is first Utah city to offer Smart911 service

Oct. 24--LAYTON -- Penny Bell understands too well that seconds count in an emergency.

The Layton resident uses a wheelchair for mobility, and TWXT is her service dog.

Bell attended the open house for the announcement of Layton city implementing the new Smart911 services on Wednesday. It allows residents to create a free safety profile for their family.

"I have unusual disabilities, and this tells them what my specific needs are, so (emergency crews) don't do anything wrong," Bell said.

She is also impressed because the new service allows her to let emergency crews know her dog's name, so if they have to enter her home, "they come in as friends, not strangers, and they understand he's a service dog and he needs to accompany me," said Bell, who has lived in Layton for a year, moving here from Milwaukee, which does not have the service.

The city is the first in Utah and among 400 law enforcement agencies in the country that have switched to the new system, said Karl Kuehn, communication manager with Layton Police Department. The system allows a person to register all phone types.

It costs $16,000, said Layton Police Chief Terry Keefe.

Keefe said the service allows families to put photographs on the site, so if they call about a lost child or an elderly person, police have an readily available photo of the person instead of a general description.

Anyone can sign up for the service at www.smart911.com, Kuehn said.

Doug Bitton, with the Layton Fire Department, said people should not be worried about their information. It does not get accessed until a 911 call is made, and residents can put as much or as little information on the website as they want to.

It also allows the person to put more than one phone number to an address. And if the person is at risk for domestic violence, they can indicate that on the site and require a pin number, so only they can access the site.

Julie Stephenson, with Safe Harbor, a shelter in Davis County, said if a woman signs up and indicates a domestic violence situation, it shows up instantly when a 911 call is placed from her phone, even if she cannot talk on the phone.

Layton residents are not the only ones who can sign up for the services.

Layton Police Lt. Shawn Horton signed up his family with the service, even though they do not live in Layton.

Horton said his family shops, goes to movies and eats at restaurants in Layton regularly.

He, his wife and his teenage daughter all have cellphones, which he has put into the registry.

If anything should happen to them while they are in Layton, emergency personnel could see instantly who the person is and if they have any allergies or need medication. Or, if they are unable to talk on the phone, officers can get pings from the cellphone within 100 meters, Horton said, instead of getting pings from cellphone towers, which are a half-mile apart.

Bob Ballew, public information officer with Davis County Health Department, said it is good that Layton has the service, but he would like to see every agency in the state offer the service.

The advantage would be that if a Layton resident who is allergic to bees got stung by one in St. George, emergency medical personnel in St. George would know about the allergy before they arrived on scene.

For Natalie Tholen, a Layton resident and mother of a 20-year-old who has autism, the service would help police, firemen and paramedics know how they should talk to him.

"Sometimes he wanders off, and most of the time he's good about coming back, but sometimes I have to go looking for him," Tholen said.

Her son, when questioned by strangers, sometimes will not respond right away and has been accused of being rude.

"They just need to know to be calm with him," Tholen said.

Her friend, Jennie McBride, has a son who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy and is nonverbal.

"For them to know what medications he needs could save those valuable few minutes," McBride said.

Paula and Merrill Felt, Layton residents, said they like the idea, but wish Kaysville had it, as that's where his elderly parents live.

"I'm going to push for this to be throughout the state," Merrill Felt said.

For more information, call Kuehn at 801-336-3507 or email him at kkuehn@laytoncity.org

Contact reporter Loretta Park at 801-625-4252 or lpark@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter @LorettaParkSE.

Copyright 2013 - Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah