CHEROKEE COUNTY, Texas — Emergency dispatchers across East Texas urge you to join platforms to keep you in the know and save precious time, should you need their help.
The RAVE app or Smart 911 can save lives and Sergio Servin, Emergency Management Coordinator for Cherokee County, explains how.
"We call it a reverse 911 service," Servin said. "Instead of you calling 911, 911 calls you and lets you know something's wrong."
Some see it as the future of the first respondence. The app has several functions including a safety profile where you can submit information about yourself to help expedite the process when you call 911 so operators can spend less time gathering your information and more time getting you the emergency care you need.
"I've helped some people sign up," Servin said. "It goes all the way into detail as to how many pets you have, and what are their names and things like that. But they want to know how many people live in a household and if anyone has any disabilities.”
Here are all the East Texas counties/cities that currently use the service:
- Anderson County
- Camp County
- Cherokee County
- Gregg County
- Harrison County
- Marion County
- Panola County
- Rains County
- Rusk County
- Smith County
- Upshur County
- Van Zandt County
- Wood County
- Athens
- Kilgore
- Longview
- Tyler
- Wills Point
Safety profiles aren’t the only feature. Many areas, like Longview and Cherokee County, lean on the severe weather updates feature that’ll let you know when a threat is on the way and how to prepare for it.
As of now, Cherokee County has 12,488 residents signed up to receive alerts. Census data shows that the current population is more than 52,000 people so, like many other counties, there's some ground to make up.
“If someone doesn't know about it, then maybe now they will,” Servin said.
To make sure you don't miss a thing, keep up with severe weather updates on our CBS19 app. Simply download the app and be sure to enable weather alerts and notifications.