Those needing help from emergency officials have another way to reach 911 operators.
Tri-Com Central Dispatch and KaneComm – which collectively serve such communities as Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, Elburn, North Aurora, Sugar Grove, Maple Park, Kaneville and Campton Hills – have launched the text to 911 service.
Both Tri-Com Executive Director Stacy Hall and KaneComm Deputy Director Michelle Guthrie said the service is a great tool for the speech- and hearing-impaired community, as well as for instances when a phone call would jeopardize the caller’s safety.
Otherwise, they said, the text messaging service should only be used as a last resort.
“Please call if you can,” Guthrie said.
With texting, Hall said, dispatch centers are at the mercy of the wireless carriers, so it’s possible messages might be delayed or not received. The 911 operators also don’t have the benefit of hearing background noise or the caller’s vocal inflection, she said.
Because Tri-Com can’t tell where a text initiated from, Hall said text messages should include the location of the emergency and the type of help needed.
To ensure the text message gets to the dispatch center, the message should be addressed only to 911 and should not include such attachments as photos or video, Hall said.
Press releases issued by Tri-Com and KaneComm offered other tips and parameters:
• Be prepared to answer follow-up questions and follow instructions from the 911 operator.
• Text simple words and do not use abbreviations.
• Keep text messages brief and concise.
• Do not text and drive.
• The service is not available to users who are roaming.
• A text or data plan is required to place a text to 911.
• Texting to 911 should be for emergencies only – those that pose an immediate threat to life or property. Non-emergency issues must be addressed by the local police non-emergency line.
Although Tri-Com and KaneComm didn’t publicly announce the service was available until this week, Guthrie said KaneComm received 911 texts in February. Of the 27 texts, 85 percent were either accidental or test texts from other agencies, and about 15 percent were for actual incidents requiring emergency response, according to statistics she provided.
Visit www.fcc.gov/text-to-911 or www.nena.org for information.