[June 12, 2009] EDITORIAL: County leads way in 911 texting Tweet Jun 12, 2009 (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- News that Black Hawk County is implementing technology that will make it the first 911 call station in the nation to accept text messages, was indeed exciting. First, it's refreshing to be able to comment on the texting era in a positive way. The last couple of years have produced a number of negative situations linked to text messaging. Last year, legislators considered a bill that could have outlawed text messaging while driving. Another proposal was brought up early this year that could have banned student access to cell phones in class, citing in part, the concern that texting could help students cheat on exams. Parents across the nation are horrified at the advent of "sexting," the practice of sending explicit messages, or pictures to others. Some of the more responsible uses of texting just need to catch up. Most of today's 911 call centers are based on analog technologies that don't work with emerging communications media such as text messaging and instant messaging. Black Hawk County recently implemented a $400,000 phone system that uses the Internet and can support 911 text messaging. That's part of the reason Intrado -- an emergency communications services company -- approached the county about installing the new technology. Intrado co-founder Steve Meer sent the county its first text on Tuesday from a conference in Fort Worth, Texas. The Black Hawk County call center sent information back to Meer. All went well and county officials say they could go live with the new service as early as next month. They are quick to point out that phone calls are still the preferred method for 911 communication, but texting to 911 will be available for anyone in an emergency where a phone call isn't possible. That's great news for future emergency communications across the country. A recent poll by the 911 Industry Alliance found that 75 percent of the nation's youth believe they can reach 911 via a text message. In a real-life example, the alliance reports that during the Virginia Tech campus shooting, many text messages were sent to 911, but they could not be received. The new technology will allow people with speech and hearing impediments to text 911, and for the emergency operator to communicate back by texting, cutting out a time-consuming middle step. Seconds count in emergency situations. Communication devices have advanced rapidly. Emergency communication systems need to evolve to keep pace. This is an instance showing that they are evolving, and we're happy to see Black Hawk County at the front end. To see more of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.wcfcourier.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]