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Emergency text messaging services
Technology that enables 9-1-1 dispatchers to receive text messages

Emergency text messaging services are a technology that enables emergency call operators to receive text messages. 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. 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.

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Description

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

Australia

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.)6

Canada

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. 7 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.8

France

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.'9

Singapore

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 emergency texting 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.10

United Kingdom

Texting emergency services in Britain is offered by Relay UK.11 through a service called emergencySMS (eSMS).12 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. 13 It was first proposed as an early day motion (EDM) in Parliament14 and implemented in the United Kingdom in 2009 for impaired individuals.15

United States

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.16 Text-to-911 has been supported by the four major cellular providers in the United States since 2014,1718 but as of August 2024[update], it is only supported by approximately 54% of the country's more than 6,000 emergency call centres.19 However, in many areas that do not support text-to-911, the message will be directed to a statewide response centre. The National Association of the Deaf and AccesSOS maintain a map of counties providing text-to-911.20

In August 2009, Waterloo, Iowa, was the first county to begin receiving texts to 911.21

Challenges for widespread implementation in the US

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-911.22 Moreover, many communities are concerned about overuse of texting, which may slow response times.23 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.

Availability by state or territory

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):24

StateTwo Letter CodeSupporting Text to 911
AlabamaALStatewide25
AlaskaAKPartial
ArizonaAZStatewide26
ArkansasARPartial27
American SamoaASNo
CaliforniaCAStatewide28
ColoradoCOPartial29
ConnecticutCTStatewide30
DelawareDEStatewide31
District of ColumbiaDCYes
FloridaFLPartial32
GeorgiaGAPartial33
GuamGUYes34
HawaiiHIStatewide35
IdahoIDStatewide36
IllinoisILPartial37
IndianaINStatewide38
IowaIAStatewide39
KansasKSPartial40
KentuckyKYPartial41
LouisianaLAPartial42
MaineMEStatewide43
MarylandMDStatewide44
MassachusettsMAStatewide45
MichiganMIPartial46
MinnesotaMNStatewide47
MississippiMSPartial48
MissouriMOPartial49
MontanaMTPartial50
NebraskaNEPartial51
NevadaNVPartial52
New HampshireNHStatewide53
New JerseyNJStatewide54
New MexicoNMNo55
New YorkNYPartial56
North CarolinaNCStatewide57
North DakotaNDStatewide58
Northern Mariana IslandsMPNo
OhioOHPartial59
OklahomaOKPartial60
OregonORPartial61
PennsylvaniaPAStatewide62
Puerto RicoPRYes63
Rhode IslandRIStatewide64
South CarolinaSCPartial65
South DakotaSDStatewide66
TennesseeTNPartial67
TexasTXPartial68
UtahUTStatewide69
VermontVTStatewide70
VirginiaVAStatewide71
U.S. Virgin IslandsVIPartial
Washington (state)WAStatewide72
West VirginiaWVPartial73
WisconsinWIPartial74
WyomingWYPartial75

See also

  • 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 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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  2. "Too dangerous to talk? Some cities explore 911 texting". AP NEWS. 2016-07-05. Retrieved 2020-03-10. https://apnews.com/03aa9a33df3a4de1afcfdcb03ca40400 ↩

  3. "Text-to-911 is here, but it isn't everything you might think". CNET. Retrieved 2024-07-12. https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/text-to-911-is-here-but-it-isnt-everything-you-might-think/ ↩

  4. "Text to 911". San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District. Retrieved 13 Jul 2024. https://www.firedepartment.org/our-district/emergency-communications-technology/text-to-911 ↩

  5. "Text to 911 Services". Weld County. pp. 'When should I use Text-to-911 services?'. Retrieved 13 Jul 2024. https://www.weld.gov/Government/Departments/Public-Safety-Communications/Text-to-911-Services ↩

  6. Joel (2019-05-03). "Calling Triple Zero (000)". AMTA | The Voice of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Industry. Retrieved 2024-07-12. https://amta.org.au/calling-triple-zero-from-your-mobile/ ↩

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  8. 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. https://bc-cb.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=2073&languageId=1&contentId=6533 ↩

  9. Thompson, Hannah (2024-02-09). "114 emergency number helps if you cannot communicate easily in France". www.connexionfrance.com. Retrieved 2024-07-12. https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/114-emergency-number-helps-if-you-cannot-communicate-easily-in-france/626154 ↩

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