When you can’t call 911, an option for emergency help is coming soon to Whatcom County
Though the service is still several months away, Whatcom County residents who find themselves in a situation where they cannot verbally communicate with a 911 dispatcher will be able to text for emergency police, fire or medical assistance.
Earlier this month, Cowlitz County joined Yakima, Clark, Thurston, Clallam, Jefferson, Wahkiakum, Pacific, Snohomish, Kitsap, Grant and Spokane counties as the first to offer Text-to-911 service, according to a release posted by the Washington Emergency Management Division.
The Text-to-911 service is meant to benefit people who may not be able to speak due to an emergency situation, such as a home invasion or an abusive family member, and individuals who are hard of hearing or have speech problems, according to the release.
All 911 call centers in Washington are working to upgrade their systems to accept Text-to-911, but the technology is not statewide yet, the release stated.
Whatcom County is waiting for the E911 office to complete work on the broadband network to deliver 911 calls and data to its 911 call centers, What-Comm 911 Deputy Director Greg Erickson told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“We are in the early stages of implementing Text-to-911,” Erickson wrote. “We are taking a very deliberate approach, following what has proven successful for other counties.
“There are a number of steps involved, which include notifications to wireless carriers, work to be performed on our 911 phone system to enable the receipt of text messages and, perhaps most importantly, a public education campaign.”
Chief among that campaign, which will be implemented by What-Comm 911 and the Bellingham Police Department, is explaining that people should only text if they are unable to talk on the phone, “as texting will take longer to process and communication via text is never as clear as communication via voice,” Erickson wrote. He added that the service is still “several months out.”
What-Comm 911 staff also will need to be properly trained before the rollout, Erickson wrote.
“Regarding the impact of Text-to-911 on our staff and our 911 center, other 911 centers have reported that the impact has been minimal,” Erickson wrote. “But they attribute that to good public education. Instances where a person needs to contact 911 via text message should be very rare.”
Once it is available in Whatcom County, Erickson wrote that the service will be available countywide anywhere you have service strong enough to send a text.
The Emergency Management Division release provided these tips to use Text-to-911 once it is available:
▪ If Text-to-911 is not available in an area, an alert message will be sent to the text sender informing them of that.
▪ A phone call should always be made when you can. Verbal conversations can relay more information and get help or services to you quicker — “Call if you can; text if you can’t.”
▪ Photos and videos can not be sent to 911 at this time.
▪ When Text-to-911 is available, you simply just have to type 911 with no dashes into the “To” field and type the exact location of the emergency, including the city, and the type of emergency into the message and hit “Send.”
▪ Keep your phone with you and be prepared to answer questions or follow instructions from 911 staff.
▪ Do not send the same message more than once, sent it in a group text or use emojis, symbols, abbreviations or acronyms.
▪ Always know your location, because 911 dispatchers will not necessarily know where you are unless you tell them.
According to the release, upgrades are funded by an existing fee that is already included in phone service bills. The FCC requires wireless carriers to support Text-to-911 service, but each 911 center decides when it will accept emergency texts.
