Response teams want to be armed with information during an emergency so that they can better assist people under these circumstances. Often vital information that could be a decider between life and death is not forthcoming, either because the person is emotionally stressed or unable to talk.

It therefore makes sense to create safety profiles with all the information before an emergency occurs.

"What citizens may not realize is that we don't usually have a lot of information when we are responding to a call," said Michael Kehoe, a CT-based police chief.

This was what First Selectman E. Patricia Llodra also underscored during a press conference while announcing that Newtown is the first in the state of Connecticut to join Smart911, a national safety database, to provide enhanced public safety services to all citizens.

"We are extremely proud to offer this lifesaving service to our community," said First Selectman Llodra. "By allowing our citizens to provide vital details to our response teams prior to an emergency, we have the ability to positively enhance our response times, and ultimately, the outcome of the situation."

The safety database in Smart911 includes important information that responders require when an emergency occurs. In addition to the location, citizens can include details of disabilities, allergies or pre-existing conditions and other information that may affect treatment on site.

Hence, when citizens dial 9-1-1, their complete profile is available, enabling the call takers to handle the situation as required.

Provided by Rave Mobile Safety, the trusted software partner for campus and public safety, Smart911 is endorsed by leading public safety/health officials and advocacy groups throughout the U.S., and has been activated in 23 states and over 300 municipalities.

Newtown has demonstrated a great commitment to public safety for their citizens," said Tom Axbey, president and CEO at Rave Mobile Safety, while commenting on its decision to join Smart911.

Smart911 recently celebrated its own milestone with a variety of new connections made across Tennessee. Now, over one million citizens in the state of Tennessee have access to the service.