Toledo Region Debuts Text-to-911 Technology in Emergency Call Centers

We’ve come to rely heavily on text messaging. Simply put, it’s a great way to communicate basic information. It’s fast, it’s intuitive, it’s real time. We use it to communicate with friends and family, service providers and even the companies we buy from. But in most cases in the United States, we can’t text message emergency services. Simply put, most emergency call centers aren’t equipped to handle 911 emergency texts. This is a huge deficit in the nation’s emergency response: after all, there are times when it’s simply not safe to make a phone call to summon help.

Why are we so behind in text messaging and emergency services? Mostly because of outdated call center technology, limited budgets, and a piecemeal approach to the adoption of newer technologies. The federal government endorses a technology called “Text-to-911,” but it is currently available in a limited number of locations. The FCC (News - Alert) encourages emergency call centers to begin accepting texts, but it is up to each call center to decide the particular method in which to implement and deploy text-to-911 technology, according to the agency.

Allen County, Ohio became the most recent region to begin accepting 9-1-1 emergency text messaging. Wireless customers can now send a text of no more than 140 characters to emergency call centers during an emergency, according to local news source WTGV Action News.

“Allen County said text-to-9-1-1 should only be used in emergencies when calling 9-1-1 is not possible,” according to the article. “For instance, if the caller is deaf, hard-of-hearing, speech impaired or when speaking aloud would put the caller in danger. The county asks that you do not send a text to ‘test’ or ‘see if it’s working’ as that can tie up emergency lines and call takers.”

Allen County recommends that those using the text-to-9-1-1 service should text in simple words with no abbreviations or slang. Individuals reporting an emergency should be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from the 9-1-1 call taker.

Edited by Erik Linask