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Emergency text messaging services


Emergency text messaging services are a technology that enables emergency call operators to receive text messages.[1] Its use is encouraged for people with hearing impairment or who have trouble speaking; it can also be used for situations when calling may pose a safety risk, such as a home invasion or domestic abuse.[2] Concerns mainly arise from the accessibility of such technologies as they are not universally applied and may be inconsistent; therefore, voice calls are generally preferred for its speed, accessibility, and clarity.[3]

A poster by the West Midlands Ambulance Service promoting the emergency text messaging service in the UK

Description

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The technology allows an individual that requires emergency assistance may text an emergency number as opposed to calling it. Emergency services are conventionally reached through voice-based calls dialling an emergency telephone number. However, such systems assume that the caller is able to communicate by voice and may exclude the impaired. It is generally presented as an alternative, and not as a replacement, to calling (which is still preferred.)[4] Texting to emergency services present themselves as a viable alternative if the individual is disabled, in a situation where speaking out loud would compromise the caller's safety, where speaking would impede help, or where network coverage is limited, as text messages take up less data.[5] Some services require prior registration (such as in Singapore and the United Kingdom, see below), some are strictly for the medically impaired, while most are available for usage by the public-at-large as necessary.

Adoption

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Adoption in the United States

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In the United States, the technology is referred to as Text-to-911. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) maintains a registry of areas supporting text-to-911. All carriers are required to send bounce-back messages to inform the sender that the message could not be received if the technology is not supported by the local call centre.[6] Text-to-911 has been supported by the four major cellular providers in the United States since 2014,[7] but as of October 2018, it is only supported by approximately 1,600 of more than 6,000 emergency call centres.[8]

Availability by state or territory

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Below is the list of individual states and territories of the United States of America, sorted by alphabetical order, and their implementation of Text-to-911 (as of July 2024)[9]:

State Two Letter Code Supporting Text to 911 Latest Addition on Registry
Alabama AL Yes January 29, 2021
Alaska AK Yes April 20, 2024
Arizona AZ Yes[10] July 3, 2024
Arkansas AR Yes June 31, 2023
American Samoa AS No N/A
California CA Yes April 30, 2024
Colorado CO Yes July 3, 2024
Connecticut CT Yes[11] December 21, 2017
Delaware DE Yes[12] August 17, 2016
District of Colombia DC Yes June 22, 2017
Florida FL Yes February 2, 2017
Georgia GA Yes February 2, 2017
Guam GU No N/A
Hawaii HI Yes May 25, 2015
Idaho ID Yes November 14, 2017
Illinois IL Yes July 3, 2024
Indiana IN Yes[13] November 3, 2023
Iowa IA Yes[14] September 29, 2023
Kansas KS Yes September 29, 2023
Kentucky KY Yes February 29, 2024
Louisiana LA Yes March 24, 2023
Maine ME Yes[15] July 31, 2023
Maryland MD Yes February 29, 2024
Massachusetts MA Yes July 15, 2022
Michigan MI Yes November 3, 2023
Minnesota MN Yes[16] November 30, 2021
Mississippi MS Yes April 30, 2024
Missouri MO Yes September 29, 2023
Montana MT Yes February 29, 2024
Nebraska NE Yes April 29, 2022
Nevada NV Yes April 30, 2024
New Hampshire NH Yes[17] March 2, 2015
New Jersey NJ Yes October 5, 2015
New Mexico NM No N/A
New York NY Yes February 28, 2018
North Carolina NC Yes August 31, 2017
North Dakota ND Yes[18] February 28, 2022
Northern Mariana Islands MP No N/A
Ohio OH Yes December 4, 2023
Oklahoma OK Yes July 3, 2024
Oregon OR Yes February 16, 2016
Pennsylvania PA Yes January 31, 2024
Puerto Rico PR Yes June 22, 2015
Rhode Island RI No N/A
South Carolina SC Yes July 3, 2024
South Dakota SD Yes[19] November 25, 2020
Tennessee TN Yes July 3, 2024
Texas TX Yes April 30, 2024
Utah UT Yes October 5, 2015
Vermont VT Yes June 24, 2015
Virginia VA Yes June 2, 2023
Virgin Islands VI Yes July 31, 2023
Washington (state) WA Yes January 31, 2024
West Virginia WV Yes March 24, 2023
Wisconsin WI Yes July 3, 2024
Wyoming WY Yes September 30, 2020

The National Association of the Deaf also maintains a map of states providing text-to-911.[20]

Challenges for widespread implementation in the US

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Call centres in the United States are usually funded by both state and federal funding, therefore limited funding and outdated technology have slowed the widespread adoption of text-to-911.[8] Moreover, many communities are concerned about overuse of texting, which may slow response times.[2] This leads to decreased local allocation of resources and funding as it is not conclusive whether text-to-911 is effective to invest in, thereby relying on federal funding which may be slower.

Adoption in Australia

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Unlike 911 used in the United States, Australia uses triple zero as its emergency number. As of November 22nd 2023, contacting emergency services through texting 000 is not currently possible. However, for individuals with hearing or speech impairment, 106 remains the only option, as it is accessed via a teletypewriter (TTY.)[21]

Adoption in Singapore

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In Singapore, a joint initiative called the 'Emergency Short Message Service Helpline Services' allows for texting (via SMS) to reach emergency services. There are two numbers for contacting emergency services through SMS, they are 70999 (Singapore Police Force) and 70996 (Singapore Civil Defence Force.) However, unlike other Text-to-911 services, it is only available for professionally diagnosed persons with hearing loss and/or speech difficulties and requires registration for usage through organisations such as SG Enable, Singapore Association for the Deaf, or TOUCH Community Services.[22]

Adoption in the United Kingdom

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Texting emergency services in Britain is offered by Relay UK.[23] through a service called emergencySMS (eSMS)[24]. Similar to the system in Singapore, individuals must register beforehand to use the service; however it is done in the UK by texting 'register' to 999 instead of contacting a separate association. [25] It was first proposed as a early day motion (EDM) in Parliament[26] and implemented in the United Kingdom in 2009 for impaired individuals.[27]

Adoption in Canada

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Texting to emergency services is adopted in Canada in the form of T9-1-1, however it is not as mature or accessible as the systems found elsewhere. The system is strictly for used by the 'deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, or speech impaired persons' and is not available for the general public. [28] Furthermore, a voice call to 911 must be made to initiate the text connection and cannot be contacted simply by texting to 911. It also requires registration and a valid messaging plan. It is also noted that coverage is not as extensive compared to other nations, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police discourages its usage unless medically necessary.[29]

Adoption in France

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In France, there is a separate phone number for the deaf and hearing impaired, 114. It is separate from the phone numbers 15, 17, 18 or 112. Through this service, individuals can contact emergency services through text and an application. However, it is not strictly restricted to disabled individuals and there is no registration process; the Deputy Director stated that it is for 'anyone... even temporarily.'[30]

History

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In August 2009, Waterloo, Iowa, was the first county to begin receiving texts to 911.[31]

See also

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  • 311, the non-emergency number in North America.
  • 911 Tapping Protocol, a New York City initiative to provide viable alternatives to voice-based emergency calls for the impaired.
  • Emergency medical dispatcher, a professional tele-communicator tasked tasked with organising responses for medical emergencies
  • Enhanced 911, a system in the United States that provides location data for call operators to locate the caller.
  • Next Generation 9-1-1, a project to modernise the 911 system in the United States
  • Reverse 911, a protocol used in North America to inform individuals in a geographic area by public safety organisations.

References

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  1. ^ Tsukayama, Hayley. "What you need to know about texting 911". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  2. ^ a b "Too dangerous to talk? Some cities explore 911 texting". AP NEWS. 2016-07-05. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  3. ^ "Text-to-911 is here, but it isn't everything you might think". CNET. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  4. ^ "Text to 911". San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District. Retrieved 13 Jul 2024.
  5. ^ "Text to 911 Services". Weld County. pp. 'When should I use Text-to-911 services?'. Retrieved 13 Jul 2024.
  6. ^ "Text Messaging 911 Takes Effect: What You Need to Know". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  7. ^ "U.S.' Text-To-911 Service Goes Live, But You Probably Can't Use It Yet". TechCrunch. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  8. ^ a b "Why is it so hard to text 911?". AP NEWS. 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  9. ^ "Text to 911 Master PSAP Registry". fcc.gov. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 12 Jul 2024.
  10. ^ "Text-to-911 Now Available Throughout Arizona". Arizona Center for Disability Law. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  11. ^ "Text to 911: How Often It's Being Used". NBC Connecticut. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  12. ^ "New "Text-to-911" Feature Now Available Statewide". news.delaware.gov. 5 March 2018.
  13. ^ Staff (2018-06-03). "After 4 years, Indiana embraces text-to-911 in emergencies". WISH-TV | Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traffic. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  14. ^ "Text 911 now available in Iowa". www.kwqc.com. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  15. ^ "Text-to-911 Now Available Throughout Maine". www.govtech.com. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  16. ^ "Text-to-911 Available Statewide in Minnesota". www.govtech.com. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  17. ^ Press releasenh.gov Archived 2021-11-03 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ "North Dakota Launches Local Solution for Statewide Next-Gen 911". 31 October 2014.
  19. ^ "South Dakota now offers 'text to 911'". 22 March 2021.
  20. ^ "National Association of the Deaf - NAD". www.nad.org. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  21. ^ Joel (2019-05-03). "Calling Triple Zero (000)". AMTA | The Voice of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Industry. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  22. ^ "Emergency Short Messaging Service (SMS) Helpline Services - A joint initiative by the Singapore Police Force, the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the National Council of Social Service" (PDF). scdf.gov.sg. Retrieved 12 Jul 2024.
  23. ^ "Contact 999 using Relay UK". relayuk.bt.com. Retrieved 12 Jul 2024.
  24. ^ "EmergencySMS Service". West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust. 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  25. ^ "Emergency SMS using Relay UK". Avon and Somerset Police. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  26. ^ "Text message 999 service (Early day motion)". parliament.uk. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 12 Jul 2024.
  27. ^ "Contact 999 by text" (PDF). Inclusion London. Retrieved 12 Jul 2024.
  28. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions (Text with 9-1-1)". textwith911.ca. Retrieved 12 Jul 2024.
  29. ^ Government of Canada, RCMP (2008-10-07). "BC RCMP - RCMP cautions against using text messaging for emergencies". bc-cb.rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  30. ^ Thompson, Hannah (2024-02-09). "114 emergency number helps if you cannot communicate easily in France". www.connexionfrance.com. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  31. ^ Svensson, Peter (2009-08-05). "Iowa 911 center is first to accept text messages". msnbc.com. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
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