BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Just in time for Autism Awareness Month, a Downriver organization is rolling out a revolutionary program to help children and adults with autism and other special needs.
911Ready’s voluntary sign-up program will send alerts with critical information, including a photo, to first responders during an emergency.
“If you have outbursts in the home and maybe you’re thinking of calling the police, you’re always second-guessing because you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Chris Kenniburg.
Chris Kenniburg and his wife, Stephanie Kenniburg, have children with mental health conditions and autism. They brought up the challenges and concerns of calling 911 at their autism support group in case of emergency.
Lisa Vilella runs those support groups under her nonprofit Mimi’s Mission.
“One of our members is Danny; he’s non-verbal, 19, cognitively age two, he’s 6′4″ and 450 pounds,” said Viella. “He’s very intimidating, so if you don’t know about him before you get there, you would treat him like a man.”
Vilella created 911Ready. Vilella has worked closely with Lt. Andrew Starzec of the Brownstown Police Department for the last four years.
“There is no look to autism, and people aren’t trained on autism, so how do you help these community members or even know about them?” asked Vilella.
Families sign up on their own here and upload a picture and helpful notes.
That information will be sent to first responders.
“If the address is located within the 911Ready program, an alert will pop up on the dispatcher’s screen and in the mobile computers in the patrol cars,” said Lt. Starzec.
The service is $40 a year for the first person in the home and $10 for any additional member in the same home.
The Kenniburgs already signed up their 12-year-old.
“In stressful situations, he might not respond even though he does speak,” Stephanie Kenniburg said. “And I also noted on our notes that if his speech was unable to be understood, that he can write very well if he needs to tell you something important.”
Lt. Starzec said this service will be one less thing families have to worry about during an emergency.
“If your house is on fire, if your loved one is having a medical issue,” Lt. Starzec said. “It’s already done. The police department doesn’t get any money out of this. This is actually a cost to us. But it’s something that we’re willing to invest in.”
Other special needs this 911Ready system is designed for:
- Alzheimer’s / Dementia
- Brain Injury / TBI
- Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)
- Hard of hearing
- Medical Pumps / Ventilators
- Mobility Impairments (requiring wheelchair) / Amputee
- Visually Impaired
- Mental Health conditions (bi-polar, PTSD, schizophrenia, violent tendencies)
- Non-Verbal (unable to speak)
- Obesity (over 250 lbs when rescue may require lifting)
To bring this 911Ready program to your community, first responders need to contact 911Ready.
911Ready also supplies police and fire agencies with bags to help deescalate a person with autism during an emergency.