The Governor of Hawaii David Ige http://governor.hawaii.gov recently announced that Hawaii has launched an enhanced 911 service that allows residents to report an emergency to 911 as a text message. Hawaii is only one of seven states that includes New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Indiana, New Jersey and North Dakota where Text-to-911 is available statewide.
The Text-to 911 service http://hawaiitestto911.com is one way to alert the authorities to life-or-death situations that do not allow for a caller to speak to a dispatcher, such as when there are home invasions, domestic violence cases, or active shooter scenarios.
However, consumers are advised to call 911 when possible because calling is a faster and more efficient way to relay an emergency as the caller’s location isn’t automatically sent to emergency responders in a text.
“While voice calls are always best, Text-to-911 services provides practical mobile emergency communications for the deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired communities” reports, Governor Ige.
Text-to-911 supports plain text Short Messaging Services (SMS) messages only and is limited to 160 characters per text. Photos and videos currently can’t be processed. In addition, callers must have active wireless service to include a text or data plan and the device’s location service must be turned on. Text-to-911 may not be available if the wireless phone is roaming or outside of the provider’s coverage area.
The upgrade for the Computer Assisted Dispatch software system and infrastructure to receive text messages costs over $3 to $4 million dollars per local area Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP). Extensive testing with all wireless carriers was conducted at all PSAP locations prior to the statewide launch and ongoing testing continues to ensure smooth operations.