INDIANA – According to reports, Indiana is one of the only states in the country which allows text to 911 in all counties.
“Emergency response officials say residents in all 92 Indiana counties can now send text-to-911 messages during emergencies if they’re unable to speak to dispatchers.
Ed Reuter is executive director of the Statewide 911 Board. He says Indiana began adopting text-to-911 four years ago and the service is now exceeding expectations statewide.
Reuter tells The Journal Gazette that “Indiana is the nation’s leader” in the technology. He says Indiana is the only state where 911 operators can initiate texts after receiving a disconnected or dropped 911 call.
Indiana’s dispatch centers now receive an average of between 500 and 600 text-to-911 calls every day.
Those include cases where someone is being held hostage but are afraid to call the police because they’re worried their captor might hear them speaking to a dispatcher.”
This map, which was accurate as of Oct. 2017, shows how sparse text to 911 coverage in other states can be for those in danger.
(https://www.avaya.com/en/perspectives/posts/updated-text-to-911-psap-map-10-04-17-11485882/)
The Federal Communications Commission also has released information on their website about the text to 911 feature, including tips for those in an emergency.
(https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/what-you-need-know-about-text-911)
“Text-to-911 is the ability to send a text message to reach 911 emergency call takers from your mobile phone or device. However, because text-to-911 is currently only available in certain locations, you should always make a voice call to contact 911 during an emergency whenever possible.
The FCC encourages emergency call centers to begin accepting texts as text providers develop text-to-911 capability, but it is up to each call center to decide the particular method in which to implement and deploy text-to-911 technology.
FCC rules require all wireless carriers and other providers of text messaging applications in the United States to deliver emergency texts to call centers that request them. If a call center requests text-to-911 service, text messaging providers must deliver the service in that area within six months.
To check to see if the 911 call center in your area supports text-to-911, download our list of areas supporting available service (updated monthly). But even in areas where call centers accept text-to-911, existing voice-based 911 service is still the most reliable and preferred method of contact.
How to contact 911
If you use a wireless phone or other type of mobile device, make sure to do the following in an emergency:
- Always contact 911 by making a voice call, if you can.
- If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech disabled, and text-to-911 is not available, use a TTY or a telecommunications relay service, if possible.
- Remember that in most cases you cannot reach 911 by sending a text message.
Bounce-back messages
If you attempt to send a text to 911 where the service is not yet available, FCC rules require all wireless carriers and other text messaging providers to send an automatic “bounce-back” message that will advise you to contact emergency services by another means, such as making a voice call or using telecommunications relay service (for persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability). Bounce-back messages are intended to minimize your risk of mistakenly believing that a text to 911 has been transmitted to an emergency call center.
Which service providers are not required to support text-to-911?
- The FCC’s text-to-911 rules do not apply to text messaging applications that do not support texting to and from U.S. phone numbers.
- Text messaging apps that only support texting with other app users or texting via social media are not required to support text-to-911.”
Is text to 911 available in your area? If not, would you like it to be? If so, do you have concerns about the technology? We want to hear your thoughts!
North Region Communication Center 