Special Assistance for Disabled during 911 Emergency
As you may know, when a 9-1-1 call is answered at your local Public Safety Answering Point, the 9-1-1 system automatically displays your name, address and telephone number on the dispatcher’s screen. The Town of Sutton Emergency Services is now accepting Disability Indicator Forms in order to provide improved services to those who are disabled and may require special assistance during an emergency. This form is confidential and the information provided will only be utilized by 9-1-1 operators.
If you or someone else living at your address has a disability, you can voluntarily complete a Disability Indicator Form. This form was created by a group of organizations that represent mobility, hearing, speech and sight impaired communities. The forms are available at all Sutton Fire Department locations and can be downloaded from the Fire Department page of the Sutton Town website (see additional links above). There You can also call the Sutton Fire department’s non-emergency phone # 508-865-4449 to request one to be sent via U.S. mail.
Please submit your signed forms to the Sutton Fire Department. This information will then be entered into the 9-1-1 Verizon database and will be verified annually.
In 1990, Massachusetts enacted legislation providing for Enhanced 911 on a statewide basis in the state. This legislation established the Statewide Emergency Telecommunications Board. The Enhanced 911 system automatically displays the address and telephone number of the emergency caller on a screen at all 911 communications centers in Massachusetts, commonly referred to as Public Safety Answering Points. There are approximately 270 Public Safety Points in the state, some of which are regionally based to answer calls for multiple communities. The Enhanced 911 program in Massachusetts is funded by a surcharge on all wire-line and wireless telephones. The program is considered one of the best in the country, because of its coordinated approach and the redundancy and diversity required of the service provider, Verizon New England, according to the board’s Web site. All dispatchers and call-takers who answer Enhanced 911 calls are required to be certified through the board’s training program.