South Sound 911 Launches Text-To-911 Service In Pierce County

PUYALLUP, WA - Expanding the way it provides emergency services for Pierce County residents, South Sound 911 on Wednesday launched its text-to-911 service, giving Deaf, hearing impaired, or speech disabled residents another, potentially life-saving option for requesting emergency help.

Additionally, text-to-911 could be used by folks who cannot safely make a 911 call. However, the new service is not to be considered something available for convenience, South Sound 911 officials explained.

"While voice calls to 911 are still the most effective way to get emergency help, text-to-911 is available when you cannot safely make a voice call," South Sound 911 spokeswoman Kris McNamar said. "Simply stated: call if you can, text if you can’t."

While not created exclusively for people with hearing and/or speaking disabilities, the new service is the culmination of more than 50 years of fighting for equal access to 911 services, according to the Coalition on Inclusive Emergency Planning (CIEP).

"In the beginning, we had to depend on hearing people to make the calls for us and when automatic location identification became available, we were taught to dial 911 and then leave our phones off the hook, hoping and praying that help would arrive in time," CIEP Disability Integration Manager Jim House said in a statement. "Today, CIEP is glad that Pierce County is joining the rest of the region in providing text-to-911, an option that we can use when we are not at home with our videophones or captioned phones."

In establishing its local text-to-911 service, South Sound 911 and Pierce County join 13 other Washington counties already making use of the revolutionary provision.

"We are pleased to finally make this important service available on behalf of our 41 local law enforcement and fire agencies here in Pierce County," South Sound 911 Executive Director Andrew Neiditz said. "It makes sense, with the prevalence of texting in our region that — in the appropriate situations — texting can be a safe way to save your life or a loved one's life."

To ensure the efficacy of texting your emergency to 911 dispatchers, South Sound 911 offered the following tips for anyone who uses the new service:

• Your first message should include the nature of the emergency and the exact location, including city. (When you text or call on a cellular phone, 911 may not know your precise location.)
• Keep messages brief. Do not send photos or video, or use group texts, abbreviations or emojis.
• Keep your cell phone with you so you can answer questions and receive instructions.
• If you are trying not to be overheard requesting help, remember to silence your phone.
• Currently, text-to-911 service is only available in English.
• Although South Sound 911 has tested the service, the agency does not control text delivery from mobile carriers or devices.
• If text-to-911 service is not available, senders should receive an automatic reply stating the service is unavailable.
• There may be instances when a voice call cannot connect due to poor cellular signal or other phone service interruption, but a text message can still go through.

For more information about text-to-911 in Pierce County, visit southsound911.org/text911; for more general information about the service, visit fcc.gov.

(Sign up for our free daily newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Puyallup Patch)