Education Efforts for 9-1-1 Public Education Month Soar Throughout the U.S.

Throughout April, 9-1-1 Public Education efforts have been prevalent in many areas of the United States.  These efforts are so important in educating the public on how and when to call 9-1-1 for help. That’s why we decided to showcase some of the many efforts made throughout the states!

Out of our nation’s capitol in Washington D.C., the National 9-1-1 Education Coalition started a website last year dedicated to 9-1-1 education. This site, www.know911.org, contains free resources that can be used to promote education, awareness and outreach efforts. This year, the Coalition added new resources to help support 9-1-1 education efforts at a local level in attempts to educate the public on 9-1-1 this month and throughout the years.

Based in Framingham, Massachusetts, Smart911 kicked off its webinar series in honor of 9-1-1 Education Month called “Understanding the Citizens We Serve.” The first edition of the series called “Understanding and Responding to Citizens with Autism” will be featured on April 26^th. The webinar is open to all those interested and will focus on how 9-1-1 telecommunicators and public safety personnel can effectively interact and assist those with autism. For more information, visit www.Smart911.com.

The King County E-911 Program Office in Washington has worked hard to distribute 9-1-1 public education materials this month to all public libraries in King County. The materials dropped off included a coloring book to teach children about 9-1-1 and informational brochures for adults. In Mexico, Missouri, Audrain County Joint Communications has been posting information on their website and social media accounts about how and when to call 9-1-1 as well as providing citizens with helpful tools to assist emergency responders in being more effective in their jobs. Visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AudrainCountyE911 to check out helpful 9-1-1 tools.

In Van Wert, Ohio, Van Wert County 911 is utilizing this month as an opportunity to work and educate the community on what is being done with the current 9-1-1 system in place and the change in equipment. Van Wert is currently researching options for a new system that will go into place in 2014 that will allow citizens to text and call into 9-1-1 for help. This plan, which is part of Next Generation 9-1-1 system, will be able to handle calls from any device including photographs.

Public education on 9-1-1 is incredibly vital to citizens all over the United States. Cell Phone Sally provides many public education efforts that are available to anyone at www.911safety.org so check out the variety of tools and resources today!