We’re on our phones day and night. More and more of our daily functions are being transferred onto these invaluable devices. Younger generations are eschewing the conventional landline and depending solely upon their mobile devices. From ordering pizza to purchasing movie tickets to checking bank balances, our lives seem dependent on the assistance of our phones. But what about the cases of emergency, when our lives might truly depend upon the capabilities of calling out for help by way of a text message?
Back in the olden days
Decades ago, the deaf and those with extreme hearing loss relied primarily upon using a teletypewriter (TTY) text telephone device or a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) for phone calls. These devices were invented in the 1960s and allowed users to type messages to one another. They were and remain very user un-friendly.
Perhaps their uselessness has something to do with the ways our society’s entire communications habits have shifted over to computer and cell phone use, particularly texting and email. Why improve a cumbersome product such as the TTY and TDD when a much more advanced system was already available to all consumers in the form of the cell phone and internet?
Slow moving in the way that government often is, our Emergency Services are playing catch up to maintain pace with the technological revolution. On a region by region basis, Emergency Services are slowly but surely implementing text to 9-1-1 throughout the nation.
Small but growing coverage
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), text to 9-1-1 is still not an option for most people living in the United States. Be reassured and know that Emergency Services are implementing stronger and more advanced systems throughout the country. Eventually, we’ll be able to send texts and videos to police and emergency services throughout the entire country. This will enable us to get the most accurate and up-to-date information possible directly to the responders.
However, in this transition period in which that isn’t obtainable en masse, there are a few things to keep in mind as a person with hearing loss contacting authorities in an emergency:
Whenever possible, make the phone call first
Texting Emergency Services should always be your second option. Besides scarcity of coverage, there are a few other reasons that this is the case. First of all, text messages rely upon the consumer network, which isn’t 100% reliable. Text messages may be delayed or sent out of order. Secondly, a text message does not deliver a location automatically the way a phone call does.
If you are unable to communicate the situation clearly to the 9-1-1 dispatcher, it is the making of the phone call itself that is a strong first step. It is the policy of most Emergency Service departments to send an officer to the location associated with the telephone number.
For this reason, if it is an option, always make the call from a landline over the cell phone. The address tied to the landline number will always be more reliable than the location services via GPS coordinates on the cell phone.
Follow the phone call with a text attempt
Once you’ve alerted the 9-1-1 dispatcher that an emergency situation is occurring by making that initial phone call, you can try to communicate more details using text messaging. If texting is not an option in your area, you’ll be immediately notified. Cell service providers are required by federal law to instantaneously provide a “bounce back” message alerting the user that text to 9-1-1 is not available in that area.
If you’re fortunate enough to be in an area where text to 9-1-1 is available, remember to send a text with the accurate address or location as quickly as possible. Again, if the initial call was made from a cell phone then the location might not be completely clear to the dispatcher.
Spread the word
If text to 9-1-1 is something you’d like to make sure is implemented in your hometown, contact your local representatives and your town’s police department and let them know this is an important issue. If you’d like to learn more about FCC programs that promote access to telecommunications services for people with disabilities, visit the FCC’s Disability Right Office website at www.fcc.gov/disability.