Residents who live in Arvada can now opt into a new system that provides emergency responders with extra information when residents call 911.

Arvada is the first city in Jefferson County to implement Smart911, a new system meant to give emergency responders more insight into who is on the other end of the line. When someone calls 911 from a Smart911 registered number, dispatchers can see additional information about callers that could help them make better choices when responding to an emergency. Information could include alerts about medical conditions and disabilities, medications and allergies.

Other cities in Jeffco will implement the system by the end of the year, but Arvada's system is already online, said Vicki Pickett, a spokeswoman for the Arvada Police Department.

“This will be a great opportunity to provide better services to our community,” she said.

Smart911 is an opt-in system, meaning residents can decide if they want to share information through the program. Residents can create an account linked to their phone number, including home numbers and cell numbers.

In the account, they can provideinformation such as pre-existing medical conditions, pictures of family members for identification purposes, locations of emergency gas shut-off valves and other background that might be helpful to emergency responders.

“You can let them know if someone in the household has Alzheimer's, special needs or heart conditions, for example,” Pickett said.

Smart911 is also used to get more accurate information about the location from which a victim might be calling. According to the Federal Communications Commission, about 70 percent of 911 calls come from cell phones, meaning the exact location of a caller can be unclear. Land lines, on the other hand, are associated with one fixed location or address.

Though residents may include as much or as little information as they choose, any information entered is secured using several systems, according to the Smart911 website.

To learn more, or to create a profile, go online to www.smart911.com.