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Critical Information At A Critical Time

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Critical Information At A Critical Time

We are said to be living in the Age of Information, which suggests at the very least that we ought to be well informed. As well connected as we are with widgets, wired and wireless, we dive into the ocean of information at our fingertips every day again and again, endlessly looking things up. Too often, it seems the information we have is not the information we want, the information we get is not the information we need, and the information we need just is not available. Often we are more frustrated than informed in this vaunted “age.” These frustrations may seem like inconsequential “first world” problems when we can’t find out immediately what’s playing at the movieplex, or whether coriander is a good substitute for cumin, or which came first: Hydrox or Oreos? There are, however, urgent desperate moments when having the right information at the right moment makes the difference between life and death.

Last week, Newtown became the first town in New England, thanks to the initiative and persistence of the town’s emergency communications director, Maureen Will, to implement a free “Smart 911” system that delivers critical information to the right people at the right time during an emergency. The system, described in a page-one story in last week’s Bee, provides emergency responders with a profile of those calling 911, detailing important medical information, the names and even photos of family members, cellphone numbers, and any other information that will save time once emergency personnel reach the scene. For stroke and heart attack victims or those in a burning building, saving minutes means saving lives.

Having the technology in place, however, spans only half of the information gap. The unveiling of the system last week deserved all the fanfare it got, but the key to the success of Smart 911 comes this week, and next, and the next as Newtown residents take the time to fill in the blanks in the system’s emergency profile database. The profiles are entered and maintained by residents, not by the town. Participants may share as little or as much information as they choose, and they may add, edit, or delete information at any time. And the information is retrieved by emergency personnel only when they receive a 911 call from your phone number whether that call originates from a Newtown landline, mobile phone, or VOIP service.

Help others help you. To register for the free Smart 911 service, you may visit the town’s Internet homepage at www.newtown-ct.gov  and click through a green Smart 911 icon in the lower left to access the registration page for the Smart 911 system; or simply access the Smart 911 system directly at www.smart911.com. Don’t put it off. The few minutes you spend may buy you the few minutes that save a life in your household.

(This just in: Hydrox cookies hit the market in 1908 — four years before Oreos.)

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