Dispatchers from the Benton Police Department will have the capability to immediately view the location of individuals during emergency calls when in a geo-fenced city-owned property, as well as precisely locating utility shut-offs, Automated External Defibrillators, and other critical information about the property. The City of Benton is the first municipality in the state to implement Rave Facility – a program of Rave Mobile Safety – in city-owned facilities, to enhance safety for the public and city employees.
“Rave Facility is a free service, similar to a Smart911 Safety Profile, but for any structure, whether privately or publicly owned, such as businesses, nonprofit organizations, and churches, as well as for parks and recreation facilities,” said J.P. French, Arkansas Director of Strategic Accounts for Rave Mobile Safety. “Once fully installed in all City of Benton facilities, when someone dials 911 from a city-owned property, dispatchers will immediately have access to critical information regarding that facility.”
The Benton Police Department’s Communications Department was one of the first in Arkansas to implement Smart911 (another program of Rave Mobile Safety). Smart911 is an enhanced public safety and emergency dispatching system which gives citizens the ability to securely and proactively provide important details (such as medical conditions, medication use, etc.) to dispatchers in the event of an emergency. Now, with the city-wide implementation of the Rave Facility program, communication between dispatchers and first responders will be faster and more efficient during an emergency response that occur at municipal properties.
When a person calls 911 from a city property that has created a Rave Facility Profile, the dispatchers will immediately have the floor plan of that property. If a person calls 911 with a landline phone, the program can show the exact office of where the caller is located. A cellphone call to 911 can show what area of the building the person is located, and whether the person is inside the building or in the parking lot.
Rave Facility also provides information, including key holder information, alarm information, location of phones, utility shut-offs, AED locations, emergency exits, and contact information for key administrators and security personnel. Lt. Curtis Wood, Communication Department administrator, said Rave Facility is currently installed in Benton City Hall and the Benton Police Department.
“We are planning on having the program implemented in all city owned buildings and park properties by the end of the year,” said Lt. Wood.
The benefits of the Rave Facility include:
- Improves the speed and efficiency of emergency response by providing critical information and enhancing communications with facility personnel.
- Enhances responder safety with access codes, hazard locations, and floor plans.
- Reduces the cost and overhead of maintaining accurate facility information by enabling online “crowdsourcing.”
- Facilitates inter-agency collaboration between public safety and business and facility managers who work off the same data set and emergency preparedness plans.
- Up to date and accurate data seamlessly available to responders, 911, fire inspectors, and other key personnel.
- Example use cases include providing evacuation routes and hydrant locations during a fire, AED locations during a medical emergency, and floor plans in the event of an active shooter.
Lt. Wood said dispatchers may be available to answer questions about Rave Facility at the Amplify Festival, which is held at Holland Baptist Church from 3 p.m. Aug. 25 through 10 p.m. Aug. 26. He said the dispatchers will be located at the Benton Police Department’s command post at the festival.
There is no cost to the Benton Police Department or the city for the use or creation of a Rave Facility Profile and the department encourages all businesses to participate in this vital program. For more information or to sign up for Rave Facility, visit: www.RaveFacility.com for more information about Smart911 visit: www.smart911.com.
