Smart911 In Boulder County: How To Register

BOULDER COUNTY, CO — Many Boulder County residents have signed up for Smart911, a free service that gives responders more information if there's an emergency. A tornado touched down Monday in the neighboring Weld County, and served as a good reminder that emergencies can hit without warning.

The service allows people to create a safety profile for their household that can include any information they want dispatchers and first responders to know in the event of an emergency, officials said.

"The benefits of this information on a 9-1-1 call from a cell phone are immeasurable,” Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said in a statement. “Cell phones do not provide an address to the 9-1-1 call taker. The safety profile can speak for you when you might be unable.”

When a person makes an emergency call, their Smart911 safety profile is automatically displayed to the 911 call taker, which allows them to "send the right first responders to the right location with the right information," public safety officials said in a news release.

Don't miss the latest news updates in Boulder: Free Boulder Patch Newsletters and Email Alerts | Facebook | Twitter

The service allows residents to link both homes and work addresses to their phones, which can help speed up response times.

"Additional information including pets in the home, vehicle details in the event of an accident, and even emergency contacts can all be included in a safety profile," the news release read. "All information is optional, and the citizen has the ability to choose what details they would like to include."

Smart911 is private and secure, county officials said. The service is only used for emergency responses, and is only made available during a 911 call.

The service is available for any incoming 911 call that is received by one of the four 911 communication centers that operate in Boulder County: the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the city of Boulder, the city of Longmont and the University of Colorado Police Department.

>> You can sign up for Smart911 on the service's website or via the Smart911 App.