|
SAMSeniors And Mount Laurel
A service provided by The Mount Laurel Police Department&The Mount Laurel Senior Educational Outreach Committee
WHAT IS “SAM”?
The “SAM” system is an automated computer that places calls to Mount Laurel citizens in need of daily check-ups. This operation is run out of the Mount Laurel Township Police Department.
It consists of a set up very similar to a home PC but its programs are dedicated to the operation of the Wizard Voice Broadcasting System and Care.
In the past, the Mount Laurel Police Department provided a service very similar to SAM. In fact, it was also referred to as the “SAM Computer” back then too. But as times changed so did the need for an up to date computer and more technology.
Today the SAM computer is better than before with only a few minor changes. This user guide will bring you through the step-by-step process of how to become an active member of the SAM calling group and answer any questions you may have.
Please take a moment and read this guide, as it should help us help you. HOW DO I APPLY?
Becoming a member of the SAM calling group is a rather easy process. Just follow these very simple steps and we can have SAM calling you in no time!
First we have to make sure your eligible.
Ask yourself these four easy questions:
1. Do I live in Mount Laurel Township? 2. Do I require special needs such as day-to-day care or constant medication? 3. Do I have a touch-tone phone? 4. Do I know two people that can act as an emergency contact for me?
If you’ve answered “YES” to all the above questions, then your well on your way to becoming a SAM client.
Next contact The Mount Laurel Township Police Department and ask to be put in contact with a member of the Mount Laurel Senior Educational Outreach Committee.
A representative from that committee will conduct a small and very simple interview with you at your home to determine your eligibility. WHAT DO I DO WHEN SAM CALLS?
Now that you’ve had your interview and have successfully become a member of the SAM calling group, it’s time for your first call.
To better explain how the process works, we will use an imaginary client named Aaron for example.
Call Process Example
When Aaron had his interview he listed on his calling schedule that he would like to be called on Monday through Friday at 6pm.
Well it’s Monday at 6pm on his first day to receive calls and the phone rings… “Hello”, Aaron answers.
After Aaron answers the phone he will hear a voice asking about his current state. It will ask the following:
“Hello Aaron this is SAM calling. If everything is alright please press 1. If you need help press 3”.
Well Aaron is doing OK today and does not require any police assistance so he presses the number “1” on his touch-tone phone.
After pressing “1” on his phone he hears the following message:
“You have indicated that you are OK… goodbye”. Then the call disconnects.
Aaron has just successfully had his first encounter with the SAM calling system and everything went great!
But what if Aaron needed help, wasn’t home to answer the phone or something else…?
A few situations could arise causing different responses by the SAM computer. If one of these situations arises… the following will occur:
Situation 1- “I need help!!!”
If Aaron needs help when SAM calls his home this means he is NOT OK. He should immediately press the number “3” key on his touch-tone phone to indicate the same.
After pressing “3” he will hear the following message:
“You have indicated that you are NOT OK, someone will be alerted.” The call will then disconnect from Aaron and contact The Mount Laurel Police Department to send a police officer to his home.
Remember, if you need help DO NOT wait for SAM to call your home. Immediately dial 9-1-1!!!
Situation 2 “Oops, I pressed the wrong button!”
If Aaron presses the wrong button on his keypad the automated SAM computer will ask him to attempt to retry his selection. If this happens two more times, SAM will think
Aaron is in trouble and immediately contact his first selected emergency contact.
The same will happen if SAM calls Aaron and the phone is answered but Aaron doesn’t press any buttons.
Situation 3 “Oh no, I missed the phone call!”
If Aaron missed the phone call from SAM because he was napping or outside for example, the SAM computer will try and call him again five minutes later. If Aaron still doesn’t answer the phone, it will call him again five minutes after that. Finally if on this third attempt Aaron doesn’t answer the phone, SAM will immediately call and
notify his first listed emergency contact.
Situation 4 “I didn’t answer the phone and neither did my emergency contacts!”
If Aaron did not answer the phone for whatever reason and SAM tried to call his emergency contacts and they didn’t answer the phone either, the SAM computer will immediately contact the Mount Laurel Township Police Department and have a police officer sent to Aaron’s home to make sure he is OK.
This is why it is VERY IMPORTANT that Aaron remembers to always answer his phone when SAM calls and his emergency contacts are aware of the times that the call is placed.
This will avoid “False Alarms” and having a police officer sent to your home if you are not in need of assistance.
Situation 5 “I have a non-emergency situation.”
If Aaron has a non-emergency situation when SAM calls all he has to do is press “0” or “5” on his key pad and he will be directed immediately to the Mount Laurel Township Police Departments non-emergency line.
From there, he can follow regular police voice prompts to speak with Mount Laurel police dispatch or press an extension line. EMERGENCY CONTACTS
Two emergency contacts are RECOMMENDED when becoming a member of the SAM calling group.
The reason two are required is it eliminates the probability of a false alarm being activated and allows your emergency contacts to look into the reason for you not answering your call before police get involved.
An emergency contact could be one of the following:
- A family member - A neighbor - A close friend - Your nurse (If they chose to accept this responsibility) - Member of your clergy
When selecting an emergency contact it is very important that you make them aware of the responsibilities they have. They are as follows:
- Know your calling schedule - Be prepared to respond to your home if you do not answer your call - Notify police if they discover a problem MY SAM CALLING SCHEDULE
Fill out the below listed schedule with your calling times so you don’t forget them. Choose one time per day.
Monday _____ _____
Tuesday _____ _____
Wednesday _____ _____
Thursday _____ _____
Friday _____ _____
Saturday _____ _____
Sunday _____ _____ SUSPEND MY PHONE CALLS
There can be a number of reasons you would like the SAM computer not to call your home. You can suspend your phone calls very simply by following these four easy steps.
1. Call (856) 234-0001 2. Press extension 337 3. At the tone leave a detailed message with your name and the date (include day of week) that you would like the SAM computer NOT to call your home. 4. Hang up
It’s that easy!
When you decide that you would like your calls to resume, just repeat.
the above four steps but leave your detailed message with your name and date (include day of week) you would like calls to resume.
You could also leave a message indicating a change in time on your schedule. Just make sure you provide a date that you would like the change to take effect.
REQUESTS FOR CHANGES IN CALL STATUS MUST BE MADE 24HRS PRIOR TO CHANGE DATE!!!
CONCLUSION
We hope this user guide helped answer any questions you may have had about the SAM computer and what it’s used for.
As time goes on, The Mount Laurel Police Department and the Mount Laurel Senior Educational Outreach Committee are constantly working together to better the SAM computer’s capabilities so that we may help serve you in your time of need.
Please refer to page 20 of this guide for phone numbers you may need in a time of crisis or non-emergency situation.
Please refer to page 21 of this guide for a quick reference page on the telephone keypad and what command each button will prompt.
USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS
Emergency (Police – Fire – EMS) Dial 9-1-1
Mount Laurel Police Department (856) 234-1414
The Mount Laurel Fire Department Information: (856) 234-6053
Mount Laurel Emergency Medical Services Information: (856) 778-1274
SAM Computer
Suspend/ Resume phone calls 856-234-0001 Extension 337 KEYPAD REFERENCE
Number Command Prompt
1 You are OK
3 You are NOT OK
5 Non-Emergency
0 Non-Emergency
SAM will NOT recognize any other numbers on your touch-tone phone. If any other number is pressed other than indicated above, SAM will advise you to reselect your option.
MY EMERGENCY CONTACTS
Please fill out this page so that you don’t forget whom you’ve listed with the SEOC committee as your emergency contacts.
Contact 1
Name: _________________
Address: _________________
Contact number: ( ) _______ - ___________
Contact 2
Name: _________________
Address: _________________
Contact number: ( ) _______ - ___________
EMERGENCY DIAL
9-1-1
To join SEOC contact:
or call
(856) 234–0001 Ext: 337
click to go back to SEOC Home Page
|
||
