August 22, 2023 3:35 a.m. 

Douglas County residents now have the ability to create a free Emergency Health Profile to share medical information with 911 dispatchers in the event of an emergency.

Lieutenant Brad O’Dell of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said RapidSOS, the world’s first emergency response data platform, teamed up with the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and Direct Relief to launch this initiative in an effort to get first responders critical health information in an emergency.

O’Dell said 911 telecommunicators are forced to rely on the limited information a phone call can provide, which can sometimes result in dispatching delays and first responders arriving on the scene under-informed. In partnership with public safety, RapidSOS created an emergency response data platform that securely links life-saving data from over 350 million connected devices to over 4,800 Emergency Communication Centers nationwide – protecting more than 300 million people in the U.S. O’Dell said this data helps Douglas County 911 accelerate response times and provides first responders with incident-specific information prior to arriving on the scene.

Douglas County 911 became RapidSOS Ready in 2023. O’Dell said the dispatchers use the RapidSOS Portal, a browser-based tool, to access accurate caller location and additional life-saving information when responding to 911 calls.

O’Dell said, “Being able to receive a caller’s opt-in health information will aid our dispatchers in an emergency which will result in proper pre-arrival instructions and informing emergency responders”. O’Dell is urging the community to create their free Emergency Health Profile and ensure they are able to share critical data with 911 to help save lives.

To learn more and create a free emergency profile, go to, www.emergencyprofile.org.