Choose your emergency contacts

Emergency contacts are the people Snug notifies if you miss a check-in. Choosing them is an important decision because they may need to contact you, coordinate with others, or help confirm that you are safe.

How many emergency contacts should you choose?

The Free Plan requires at least one emergency contact and will not work without one.

If you want to test the missed-check-in experience before involving someone else, you can add yourself as an emergency contact. This puts Snug into test mode, and Snug sends the emergency-contact notifications to you instead of another person.

The Dispatch Plan can be used without an emergency contact, but we strongly recommend adding at least one. Emergency contacts give Snug more ways to confirm that you are safe, and may be able to check on you in person. Responsive emergency contacts reduce the chance that a wellness check will be requested because of a false alarm.

Whenever possible, choose more than one trusted person and include at least one person who lives close enough to check on you.

What makes a good emergency contact?

Choose people who:

• You trust with personal information about you
• Are likely to notice and respond to a Snug alert
• Are willing to call you or coordinate with other contacts
• Understand what you want them to do if you cannot be reached
• Keep their phone number and contact information up to date

Your contacts can live nearby or far away. Consider:

• A trusted neighbor who could check on you in person
• A nearby friend or relative
• A long-distance family member who is reliable and easy to reach
• A caregiver or another person who helps you regularly
• Someone from your church, faith community, building, or neighborhood
• Another trusted person who knows your routine and preferences

Who not to add

Your emergency contacts should be specific people who know you, understand Snug, and have agreed to help. Do not add:

• A doctor's office or clinic
• A police department or other emergency-service number
• An organization with rotating staff
• Someone you have not spoken with about Snug

Organizations and shared phone numbers may not recognize the alert, receive SMS messages reliably, or know how you want them to respond.

Ask before adding someone

Talk with each person before adding them so they understand Snug and agree to help. You can send a message like this:

What happens after you add them

After you add an emergency contact, Snug sends them an SMS message explaining that you selected them. The message includes a link they can use to confirm. Let them know to expect the message so they recognize it as legitimate.

Tell contacts what you want them to do

After someone agrees, talk through what they should do if they receive an alert. Tell them:

• The best ways to reach you
• Who else they should contact
• Whether someone nearby can check on you
• When you would want them to contact local emergency services
• Where they can find any important instructions you have chosen to share

Create and share a missed-check-in plan so each contact has the same information.