Adding this contingency to your daily check-in plan could be life-saving

Did you know that a number of Iamfine users are currently utilizing local emergency services as a member of their Care Circle? Local emergency services can provide "wellness" or "welfare" checks which are in-person response calls by local law enforcement to determine a person's well-being. Iamfine users can structure their alert phone calls to include their address and any special instructions so a wellness check can be initiated.

 

If you've considered using Iamfine but have concerns because you don't have anyone local to add to your Care Circle or no one to add at all, you're not alone. If you're interested in adding your local emergency services to your Care Circle, Iamfine can help.

 

Finding who to call

 

The first step to utilizing local emergency service in your Care Circle is doing a little research. This part is easy. Almost every city or county police department or sheriff's office has what is referred to as your local non-emergency dispatch number. This is a 10-digit phone number, usually containing the same area code as yours, that connects to the dispatcher but is NOT 9-1-1. Your local police department or sheriff's office will usually have this number listed on their website. 

 

 *Entering 9-1-1 has a telephone number for a Care Circle member will only result in an error message.*

 

Search Terms

 

Go to your preferred search engine. This can be google, bing, firefox. For our example we used google. Type in the search by the name of your city or county followed by “non-emergency dispatch number”. See our example below. Find the correct page for your local services and they will have this number listed. 

 

 

ASK FIRST!

 

Ok, you’ve found the number and you’re ready to go. BUT, the point of this type of service is having a plan in place that you’ve discussed with others. If that plan is to include local emergency services, it's important to contact them first, explain a little about the service and what their role is (wellness check if an alert is received) and ask if it’s okay they act as a contact in your Care Circle. Most often, they are familiar with our service and are happy to help. If not, ask anyway. They may be interested in learning about the service and even thank you for informing them. 

 

Ask them if they have an email address they’d like to keep on file. If not, that is okay. We have a solution in our next step. 

 

OFFER TO HELP - We are happy to contact your local emergency services on your behalf. Simply leave us a message via our contact us page and we will be happy to help!

 

Adding to your Care Circle

 

We are almost complete! You have the non-emergency dispatch number for your local services, it connects directly to a live-person, you’ve contacted them to kindly ask if they would act as a member of your Care Circle and they’ve agreed! Now it’s time to add them to your Care Circle by inputting their information into the system. Follow these steps:

 

1. Log into your account
2. Select the “Care circle” tab on the left-hand menu
3. Then, click MANAGE CARE CIRCLE

 

What/Who’s Information do I add?

 

 

If the department or Sheriffs have a liaison person for this capture their email. Use their information. If limited contact information follows these protocols:

 

First Name: Name of your City

Last Name: Police Department or Sheriffs (depends on who we are calling)

Email. [email protected] example: [email protected]

Relation: OTHER

 

 

These specific email address signals to us to turn on phone call alerts for this particular Care Circle member because they will not be using email alerts.

 

Including your address

 

The Alert phone call to the police or sheriff can be structured to include your address or any special instructions for emergency services benefit. 

 

1. Log into your account
2. Select the “Contact Details” tab on the left-hand menu
3. Click “edit” highlighted in blue
4. Type your Address in Line 1 and any special instructions in Line 2

 

 

This information is now included in your alert phone call messages. Alert phone messages play on a 90-sec loop. 

 

You’re all set to go!

 

Now, in the unlikely event of a missed check-in, your local emergency services will be notified and a wellness check initiated. 

 

*IMPORTANT NOTICE*

 

Not every emergency service dispatcher has a phone system that will work. The number you add to your Care Circle for emergency services MUST CONNECT TO A LIVE PERSON. Some 10-digit non-emergency dispatch numbers utilize a “phone tree”. This is when you must press a number to be connected to the right person… exampleL: press 2 for billing, press 3 to make an appointment... Ext. If during your research you find your local non-emergency dispatch number had this set-up, then we are incompatible. 

 

Utilizing local emergency services may not be an option but, finding your local non-emergency dispatch number and giving it to relatives or friends is another way to help firm up your emergency event plan. If they can’t be used with our services, give the number to those who may need it. 

 

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Life-saving intervention credited to Iamfine Daily Check-in

Using Iamfine's alternative check-in methods

 

Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay