Officials unveil new ‘text to 9-1-1’ feature
Function will aid those with hearing and speech disabilities
WEST GOSHEN >> Chester County officials on Tuesday unveiled a new “text to 9-1-1” capability that now allows residents to contact 911 operators by text message in the case of an emergency that prevents placing a phone call.
Chester County became the first county in the region to roll out the program, which is described as an alternative, but not a substitute, for traditional 911 calls. One of the main advantages of implementing the texting functionality is to allow those with hearing and speech disabilities to contact emergency operators on their own, something that was often impossible before now.
“By adding a Text to 9-1-1 option, we’re providing equal access to emergency services for residents with hearing and speech disabilities,” said Chester County Commissioner’ Chair Terence Farrell. “However, our clear message for this new service is ‘call if you can, text if you must.’”
The county’s 9-1-1 center receives about 775 calls every day, and two out of every three of those calls are placed on cell phones. The new text message service is just another way for citizens to call for help, officials said.
“As you know the safety of Chester County citizens is one of our top priorities, it’s the number one priority in our strategic plan, and in developing our strategic plan we interviewed citizens and that survey showed that our emergency services and our 911 operations ranked highly in importance among our citizens,” Farrell said. “Our citizens believe we are doing a good job in keeping them safe, but as you know there are additional things we can and should be doing, and this is one of them.”
Farrell said utilizing modern technology like text messaging is a way to enhance services to the county’s residents. However of- ficials like Farrell said the tool should only be used if calling by phone is impossible.
Emergency officials stressed that there are inherent delays when using a text message to contact 911 operators, and urged residents to place a voice call whenever possible to ensure the quickest response. The new texting service, designed to aid the hearing and speech impaired, also allows for potential crime victims to seek help even in situations where making a phone call is impossible.
Farrell demonstrated the functionality Tuesday at the 911 operations center at the Chester County Government Services center, and while therewas a noticeable delay the system worked as designed.
Robert Kagel, the director of the Chester County Department of Emergency Services, said the new functionality is another tool for emergency responders but is not intended to replace existing 911 operators.
“This system is a tremendous enhancement for the public’s access to the 9-1-1 system, both for the heard of hearing but also for crime victims here in the county,” Kagel said, though he noted that the system is not expected to be as efficient as traditional voice calling. “Texting is not a replacement for calling, but it is a less accurate alternative. The reality is that texting 9-1-1 will actually take longer to process than a traditional voice call because of the inherent back and forth messaging instead of an instant phone conversation.
Kagel said those challenges make it important that those who use the system be brief, avoid abbreviations, and refrain from using “texting language” including slang and shorthand.
The system currently works with all AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint cell phones, though officials said phones using T-Mobile services should be added to the system in the next year. Officials said the implementation is a part of a national effort known as “Next Generation 9-1-1,” which began in December of 2012 when agreements were made with the major cell phone carriers to add the service to national networks.
Beth Lockard, the pastor of the Christ the King Deaf Church in West Chester, also attended the public roll out on Tuesday and expressed excitement about the new program. Through the interpretation of Lockard’s husband, Bill, the pastor thanked officials for investing in the program and said it would be a great asset for the county’s hearing impaired.
“On behalf of the whole community I want to say how thrilled we are that can now text 9-1-1, it’s a lifesaver,” Lockard said. “I text all the time, I communicate with so many people in the community, and until now we have not been able to use 9-1-1. If I broke down in my car, how would I ask for help?”
Peggy Gusz, the director of the Chester County Crime Victims Center, also attended the press conference and said the texting system would help crime victims seek help if they were in a situation where placing a phone call was impossible.
Unlike calling 9-1-1 by phone, cell phones must have active coverage to use the texting functionality, officials said.