Service offers medical information to help situational awareness for 911 calls

| 07.31.2007 | 09:31:508215 |

July 31 '07: Local officials in San Ramon Valley are considering partnering with a medical information distribution service which would compile residents' information that could then be used to build smart lists of special needs during emergencies, the Contra Costa Times reported. Some of the obstacles facing the implementation of the plan include pricing, privacy and security.

The Times reported, "The district's board voted last week to contract with Berkley-based SMART911, which would charge residents $2.20 a month per phone line to register their names, addresses, home details, disabilities, medications and other data. ... The information would appear to fire dispatchers with a 911 call. In a disaster, they could make maps of residents who might need rescue."

Richard Price, the assistant fire chief in San Ramon Valley told the Times, "IF we had an earthquake and we wanted everybody that met particular criteria - non-ambulatory or blind - we could query the conditions we wanted a produce a list."

An additional "enhanced" service, priced at $3.30 per month would include picture ID's of family members and would cover all phone lines in the household. Some experts and local officials expressed concern that a semipublic information system containing such personal data could jeopardize some people's identity security or personal security if the information were to fall into criminal hands.