At a Santa Fe County wildfire prevention event, county communicators encouraged residents to sign up for Smart911 and local emergency alerts so dispatchers can access household medical and occupancy details during emergencies.

Why it matters: Registering with Smart911 and local alerts can speed emergency response and let dispatchers and responders know medical needs, number of occupants, pets and other details that may affect rescuer actions.

Olivia, communications coordinator with Santa Fe County, introduced the topic and asked dispatchers to explain why registration matters. "My name is Ashley. I'm a 9 1 1 dispatcher. I've been there for about 11 years," said Ashley, describing Smart911 as a system where "you provide information to the website" that responders can use in an emergency. Alexis, a dispatcher at Santa Fe RACC, also said staff were onsite to let residents know about Smart911.

Ashley said information entered into Smart911 can include medical history, how many people live in a home, pets and the size of the house. "If there is, say, a gas leak and we need to evacuate a certain neighborhood ... we can go through and call the individuals and do, like, what's called a reverse 911," she said, explaining that reverse 911 messages notify phones and landlines in a targeted area. Later in the event Ashley told viewers where to register: "Go to smart911.com."

Event staff also recommended that residents register for Alert Santa Fe, the county's public-notification system, to receive evacuation notices and other county alerts.

The presenters did not report any formal changes to county policy; they recommended voluntary registration and provided resources for residents to sign up.

The county communications team said more information and registration links are available on the Santa Fe County website.