FRAMINGHAM, Mass. March 12, 2021–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Rave Mobile Safety (Rave), the critical communication and collaboration platform customers count on when it matters most, today announced the Rave platform supports compliance with Virginia’s Marcus Alert System, which established statewide mental health awareness response and community understanding services.
The law, named after a 24-year-old man who was shot and killed by a police officer in 2018 while experiencing a mental health crisis, promotes a behavioral health response to individuals in crisis. The legislation requires that, by July 1, 2021, every locality in Virginia establishes a voluntary database to be made available to the 9-1-1 alert system and the Marcus alert system to provide mental health information and emergency contact information for response to an emergency or crisis.
Many communities across the Commonwealth are already in compliance with Marcus Alert thanks to their use of the Rave 911 Suite and Smart911, Rave’s national service that allows individuals to provide 9-1-1 call takers and first responders with critical information through a Safety and Functional Needs Profile. Smart911 Safety Profiles display on the 9-1-1 screen and allow 9-1-1 call takers to view information like addresses, mental health and medical information, photos, emergency contacts and more. With the Rave 911 Suite, 9-1-1 call centers also have access to capabilities like live video streaming, call notes, caller location, and chat functionality.
Together, the Rave 911 Suite and Smart911 provide localities with the critical data and collaboration platform to ensure communities are in compliance, and provide the best emergency response:
- Rave 911 Suite provides effective situational awareness with Smart911 data, facility data, photos, live video streaming, call notes, chat, call analytics, and secure integration to CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch) systems
- Smart911 data works for all phones, from mobile to landlines, ensuring the largest number of residents can create Safety and Functional Needs Profiles, and providing all physical addresses associated from the ALI (Automatic Location Identification) database to identify caller location
- Smart911 data can be used across a variety of stakeholders, including 9-1-1, first responders, public health and emergency management teams, and provides a mode for ongoing community engagement
- Smart911 Safety and Functional Needs Profiles allow for families to stay connected, which means that a parent or caretaker can create a profile for a child or other individual under their care, and connect that profile to their phone number
According to the CDC, the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with mental health challenges, and during late June 2020, 40% of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance abuse.
“As increased mental health awareness continues to drive conversations about how we can best respond to those in mental health crisis, it’s more important than ever that our 9-1-1 call takers and first responders have information at their fingertips that enables informed, appropriate response,” said Todd Piett, Rave CEO. “The Marcus Alert System is a huge step toward ensuring that happens in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We are proud to provide counties with the technology they need to both meet the requirements of the law, and transform the way they respond to mental health crises in a way that benefits first responders and their communities alike.”
To learn more about the Rave 911 Suite, visit www.ravemobilesafety.com.
About Rave Mobile Safety
Rave Mobile Safety is the leading provider of critical communication and collaboration technology used to save lives, manage crisis incidents and increase resiliency. From major disasters and crisis events to everyday emergencies and operational incidents, the Rave platform enables critical data sharing, mass notification and emergency response coordination. Over 8,000 first responder, emergency management, 9-1-1, and federal, state and local agencies—as well as corporations, healthcare organizations, universities and schools—all rely on Rave to prepare better, respond faster, recover quicker and mitigate anticipated critical incidents. Founded in 2004, Rave’s award-winning software solutions are backed by leading growth equity firm TCV. Let Rave enable you to do all you can todayTM to keep everyone safe. For more information, visit https://www.ravemobilesafety.com, read our company blog, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
