Time is critical when police officers, firefighters and paramedics are responding to a call. Any information to help them respond to an emergency is important and could help save time and lives.

Sunday’s edition of the Times-Journal featured a story about Smart911, a free program through the Dallas County Consolidated E-911 Communications Center that allows citizens to build a profile and attach it to their phone numbers.

The profiles can contain as little or as much information as citizens want to share with first responders. Tracy Williams, director of the center, and Captain Mike Granthum with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department said the more information, the better. While the program has been available in Dallas County for four years, not enough people are utilizing it. Williams said the center answers two or three calls a month with a Smart911 profile attached to it, and he is hoping to increase that number to improve on response times.

“When it comes to emergency services, time is critical, it’s crucial, and it cuts down time,” Granthum said. “It’s a good program. We just need more people to take advantage of it.”

Smart911 profiles can include directions to a home off the beaten path, floor plans, medical information, such as medicines or if someone is on oxygen, information about pets, children and tons more.

This is a great program the county is offering, and people should take advantage of it. It can also take some of the stress of having to relay information to a dispatcher off of the person calling 911 because  much of the information they need is already there.

Dallas County was the first county in the state to implement the program, and people that live here should take advantage of it.

Signing up is easy. Just go to www.smart911.com, and click the sign up button.

Williams said the website takes you through the process step by step.