Tag Archives: 911

Wyoming police continue search for missing Wyoming man

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Darriol Stephens has been missing since Dec. 11. (Supplied)

The Wyoming Department of Public Safety needs the public’s assistance in locating Darriol Stephens, a 66-year-old white male from Wyoming. Stephans has been missing since Dec. 11 when he was seen leaving his residence by his roommate. Stephens requires medical attention which he has not received and there is growing concern fo this safety.

Wyoming Police are also trying locate Stephens black 2012 Chevy Impala with Michigan registration DSG2228. The vehicle has tinted windows and is similar to the vehicle pictured.

Wyoming Department of Public Safety detectives have conducted an extensive investigation and have followed up on all leads, but the leads have reduced significantly. We are again reaching out to the public for their help in locating Stephens or his vehicle.

“We are hopeful that someone may have information that we have not yet received and that they will reach out to our team,” read a press release from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety.

Wyoming Police are also looking for Stephens’ black Chevy Impala which is similar to the one pictured above. (Supplied)

Anyone with information about Stephens may call the Wyoming Department of Public Safety at 616-530-7300 or 911. You can report information anonymously by calling Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.

County encourages residents to give the gift of safety by signing up for Smart911

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, , , , ,

As the holiday season approaches, the Kent County Dispatch Authority is encouraging Kent County residents to take the time to speak with loved ones about the benefits and importance of signing up for Smart911™.

 

A free service provided by KCDA, Smart911 lets users create a private and secure safety profile that 911 will reference during an emergency. This information may include photos, detailed medical information, cell phone numbers, vehicle descriptions, pet information and other data that can be critical during an emergency situation, and enables faster and more effective emergency response by law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services.

 

“Smart911 helps responders use the minutes that count during an urgent situation for a better, faster response,” said Wyoming City Manger Curtis Holt, who serves as the chair of the Kent County Dispatch Authority. “This service is now free to all Kent County residents and has proven to save lives nationally. Taking a few minutes to get you and your family signed up now might save your lives in an emergency later.”

 

Connected to a mobile phone number, Smart911 allows residents to link both home and work addresses, which can then be passed on to responders in the field for a more detailed, rapid response. All information is optional, and each user has the ability to choose what is included.

 

Since Smart911 was introduced, emergency dispatchers have credited it with several “Smart Saves.” One incident earlier this year resulted in a successful intervention for an 18-year-old, who called 911 saying she had drunk alcohol and taken pills and was unable to move. The dispatcher was able to reach her through her Smart911 profile, reaching out to an aunt who was able to get her to the emergency room.

 

“I can’t say it enough: The benefits of signing up for this service are immense,” Holt said. “When you use your mobile phone to call 911, an address is not displayed to the call taker, slowing down the emergency response. In so many emergency situations, minutes and seconds matter, and the additional information in a safety profile allows help to get there faster – and arrive better prepared.”

 

Smart911 is currently available in 40 states and more than 1,500 municipalities across the country. The service has been credited with positively impacting emergency outcomes, including prevention of several life-threatening incidents in which the discretion of conversations with 911 were critical to the outcomes. After making initial contact with 911 dispatchers via phone call, discrete details in these situations were able to be confirmed by text message via Smart911 after the call.

 

This service was made available to Kent County residents for the first time earlier this year, but as the holiday’s approach, KCDA is hoping residents will take the time to have conversations about Smart911 with loved ones.

 

“This holiday season, what better gift than giving your family additional peace of mind in case of an emergency?” Holt said. “I certainly can’t think of one.”

 

Kent County residents are encouraged to create their safety profile with Smart911 at www.smart911.com to ensure their information is available to 911. It takes approximately 10 minutes to complete the secure online form that will be stored in the confidential Smart911 database. All information is kept private and protected and is only available to 911.

 

About Kent County Dispatch Authority

 

The Kent County Dispatch Authority was formed in 2007 to address issues that related to 911 services in the County. KCDA develops policies and procedures for administering 911, creates the annual operating and capital budget, establishes goals and objectives through a strategic plan for future technological or operational enhancements, distributes 911 surcharge funds and other initiatives to maximize efficiency of 911 services. For more information, visit www.kent911.org

 

About Smart911

 

Currently available in 40 states and more than 1,500 municipalities, Smart911 allows citizens to create a free Safety Profile online for their household that includes information they want 911 and response teams to have during an emergency, such as their address, medical conditions, pets, etc. When an emergency call is made, a citizen’s Safety Profile is automatically displayed to the 911 call-taker. Last year, 25 million 911 calls were assisted by Safety Profiles. All information is kept private and secure, only appearing when the associated number calls 911.

WKTV features 9/11 documentary by Kentwood resident

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, , , , , , , , , ,

James Kristan also owns a truck that he has dedicated in remembrance to the those who died in 9/11.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

Kentwood resident James Kristan remembers the moment the world stopped for him. He was getting ready to paint the small garage door to his home when an WYCE host announced that a plane had hit the twin towers.

 

“I’m originally from Connecticut, but New York was my stomping grounds,” Kristan said. “It was the place that I hung out with my bros.”

 

Kristan, an Army veteran, spent the next eight years  immersed in the day’s events and its effects. The result being the documentary “Moving on From 9/11: One Man’s Story,” which will air on WKTV’s Channel 25 at 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11, and again at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12.

 

“I interviewed firefighters from Battalion 1, some of the very first to respond,” Kristan said. It was actually the battalion chief of Battalion 1 who witnessed the American Airlines Flight 11 crash into the North Tower of the World Trader Center on Sept, 11 and immediately radioed a multiple alarm incident. Of the 412 emergency works who died during the World Trade Center attacks, 343 were New Your City Fire Department firefighters.

 

The events for the Sept. 11 attacks started when two planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were crashed into the North and South Towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. Within an hour and 42 minutes, both 110-story towers collapsed. A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon leading to a partial collapse of the building’s western side. A fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, initially was steered toward Washington D.C., but crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Penn. after its passengers tried to overcome the hijackers.

 

For several years, Kristan attended the memorial ceremonies for the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 and the documentary includes some of those memorial tributes. Kristan also spent several months gaining access to the chapel in the Pentagon where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed and is one of a few allowed to film in the chapel.

 

“For me this was about healing,” said Kristan who said the attacks brought on his post traumatic stress disorder or PSTD. In fact, Kristan said every Sept. 11, he spends the day reflecting and remembering those who perished during the attacks and those who risked their lives to help others.

 

An artist, Kristan has moved forward. He has participated in ArtPrize in 2009 and 2013 and is planning to return in 2018. He has the largest 9/11 memorabilia collection that includes pieces of the World Trade Towers. He also is the president of the West Michigan 9/11 Memorial.

 

However Kristan said he will never forget what happened and will continue to educate others about the 9/11 attacks and how it changed the United States.

Metro Health – University of Michigan Health distributes free life-saving narcotic overdose kits

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, , , ,

Metro Health – University of Michigan Health is now giving away free of charge the life-saving medication, Narcan, to patients upon discharge who experience an accidental or intentional opioid overdose. These kits are funded through a generous grant from the Metro Health Hospital Foundation.

 

Opioids, like heroin and common prescription pain medications, have been associated with overdoses at epidemic levels nationally. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, more than 33,000 people died because of opioids in 2015. The Center also reports that nearly half of all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid. In 2015, Metro Health’s emergency department treated 285 drug overdoses with 190 of those being actual or potentially opioid related.

 

“Opioid use is on the rise, and so are overdoses,” said Dr. Marc Afman. “Overdoses can be accidental or intentional. We also know that if a person has one overdose, they are far more likely to have a second, and that one could be fatal. An overdose can happen to anyone. By distributing these kits, we are helping to save lives by providing education, community resources and Narcan; an antidote (reversal) for opioids.”

 

Metro Health – University of Michigan Health is distributing Narcan in nasal spray form. Narcan is a prescription medication used to reverse the dangerous life-threatening effects of opioids. An overdose is a medical emergency. Narcan does not take the place of emergency medical care, and 911 should be called when it is used.

 

The hospital’s goals for distributing these kits include:

  • eliminating the need for the patient to travel to a pharmacy to fill a prescription for Narcan;
  • removing any financial barriers that would prohibit a patient from obtaining a kit at a pharmacy;
  • educating the patient and caregivers regarding appropriate use; and
  • reducing the amount of deaths in the community related to opiate overdoses.

 

“At Metro, we want to be clear about one thing: we do not encourage the improper use of opioid drugs; rather, we recognize that Narcan used immediately by family and friends could save the life of someone they hold dear,” said Pete Haverkamp RPh. “We recognize that not all overdose victims are using illegal drugs, and whatever the cause of the overdose, we want to provide life-saving tools to those who may need it the most.”

 

“Our mission at Metro Health – University of Michigan Health is to improve the health and well being of our communities,” said President and CEO Michael Faas. “The focus of this program is to be proactive and do what we can to curb the spread of this health epidemic. That’s why we are so pleased to provide these kits—free—to patients upon discharge who have overdosed on an opioid.”

 

Each Narcan kit includes two doses of the spray. Instructions are printed in English, Bosnian and Spanish. Also included in the kit are instructions indicating how to recognize an overdose, initiating emergency response by calling 911, and how to administer the life-saving medication, Narcan. Additional information includes a list of community resources where an individual, or family member, can find local help, including support groups, shelter, food, addiction services, crisis lines and counseling.

Kent County gets ‘Smart911’ with the goal of improving emergency response

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , , , , , , ,

Kent County Sheriff Larry Stelma, Grand Rapids Central Dispatch Communications Manager Karen Chadwick, Kent County Dispatch Authority Chair and Wyoming City Manager Curtis Holt, Kent County Sheriff Department Emergency Communications Center Manager Matt Groesser, and RAVE Customer Success Manager Kevin Hatline.

 

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

“Where is the emergency?” has become the first question area 911 operators ask as more and more emergency calls come from cellphone users.

 

This is because within a minute the call is answered the cellphone will relay a location back which can be anywhere from where you are actually standing to a mile or more away, said Kent County Sheriff Department Emergency Communications Center Manager Matt Groesser.

 

“Often the case is the person calling is in a very intense, stressful, panicky situation and being able to relay details such as location can be difficult,” said Karen Chadwick, communications manager for Grand Rapids Central Dispatch.

 

Various local law enforcement at today’s press conference for Smart911.

Today, at the Kent County Sheriff’s Department, the Kent County Dispatch Authority — chaired by Wyoming City Manager Curtis Holt — announced that it would be adapting the Smart911 program where individuals can create an online safety profile for their household. When a citizen makes a call that profile will automatically display the citizen’s Safety Profile to the 911 call taker.

 

“This profile provides key details about you and your family to those taking our 911 calls during an emergency,” said Kent County Sheriff Larry Stelma during the press conference that representatives from various law enforcement agencies throughout Kent County including the Kentwood Police Department and the Wyoming Department of Public Safety attended. “These things might include physical descriptions of your house, your family members. It might include the type of vehicles you drive. It also might include special medical conditions that you or your family might have.”

 

Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen (far left) at the Smart911 press conference.

Other details residents may provide are the pets in the home, the layout of the home and shut off for gas and electricity. It is the type of information that various emergency responders might need, Stelma said.

 

Area residents should go to Smart911.com, click the “Sign Up Today” button and proceed to fill out the information. Sign up is free, private and secure with 911 call takers and responders only able to see the information when a call is made. Once the call is complete, the information disappears from the call taker’s and/or responder’s screen.

 

Powered by RAVE Mobile Safety, Smart911 is currently available in 40 states and more than 1,500 municipalities. Last November, Lt. Governor Brian Calley and other Michigan government officials announced a statewide initiative to make Smart911 available to all residents. While free to residents to sign up, the cost to Kent County for the service is around $40,000 which is being paid for by a grant for the first year.

 

Holt said he sees the City of Wyoming doing similar promotions as the state on its Facebook page, website and through other media. Officers throughout the county will have materials available to distribute with the goal of encouraging residents to sign up. Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll said he already is planning to include Smart911 information that he provides to residents, especially older citizens.

 

“It’s a good idea,” said Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen. “Having that type of information such as a pinpoint of location is quite a big help in responding to an emergency.”

 

“The additional information provided in a Smart911 safety profile can save critical minutes in an emergency and help responders offer better services,” Holt said. “All information is optional and each citizen has the ability to choose what they would like to include.”

 

Multiple phones can be connected to one address as well as a single phone line can have both home and work addresses assigned to it. Also, the program works with all types of phones from traditional land lines, VOIP, cable and mobile.

 

For more information about the program or to enroll, visit Smart911.com.