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Plans are in the works to launch a statewide system enabling people to send 911 text messages during an emergency.
The new system is expected to be especially helpful for people who are unable to talk to 911 dispatchers because of an emergency situation or due to a disability.
Courtney Tagupa, executive director of the Enhanced 911 Board, said the text-to-911 service will include police, fire and Emergency Medical Services. He said the system could be launched in about a month.
When the system is in place, Hawaii will be the third state in the nation operating text-to-911 statewide. The first state was Vermont in December 2014, followed by Maine.
TEXT-TO-911
Requires a text-enabled cellphone
>> Texting 911 may not automatically show the call taker your location, so it is important to give the call taker an accurate address or location as soon as possible.
>> Text messages must be brief and easily understood.
>> Use plain English, no abbreviations or slang.
>> Text only when you cannot make a call. Calling 911 is faster.
>> Only plain text messages are supported. No pictures, videos or emojis.
Source: Department of Accounting and General Services
Kristine Pagano, the administrative officer for the state Disability and Communication Access Board, said the system will provide a valuable service for people with disabilities, especially the deaf and hard of hearing.
Currently, in Hawaii, deaf people call 911 using the Video Relay Service, which requires a videophone and a live sign language interpreter to translate for the deaf and hearing parties, said Pagano, who is deaf.
“The problem with using VRS to make 911 calls is the (videophone) is at a fixed location in the deaf person’s house,” Pagano said in an email. Consequently, if an emergency occurs away from the videophone’s screen area, the deaf caller could be forced to scramble and, in the case of a break-in, may have to hide until the intruder leaves.
Pagano said there are VRS apps on smartphones, but a strong wireless connection is needed and the caller must position the cellphone to be able to see the interpreter.
Texting 911 is expected to help callers with speech-related disabilities and dispatchers who won’t have to repeat instructions during an emergency, such as how to administer first aid or where to meet first responders, she said.
Tagupa said simply calling 911 is faster and more efficient, but in some emergencies, a person may not be able to call and speak audibly. If a person texts 911 on the statewide system, a dispatcher will reply with a text message, he said.
Hawaiian Telcom is providing the technology that allows dispatchers to receive and send text messages, and Honolulu police are testing the apparatus, Tagupa said.
Maj. Allan Nagata, commander of the Honolulu Police Department’s Com- munications Division, said text messages use less data than phone calls, which may allow people to reach 911 during natural disasters and other times of high call volumes. And text messages may reach 911 from remote areas where phone calls don’t go through because they are only small blasts of data.
He added that the text-to-911 service “levels the playing field for all those people with disabilities who can’t make a voice call.”
The cost of the service cannot be disclosed because of a nondisclosure agreement in the contract between the counties and Hawaiian Telcom, Tagupa said. The cost is being paid for through the Enhanced 911 fund, which comes from a 66-cent tax on monthly cellphone bills.
Cellphone providers have been pursuing text-to-911 capabilities for Hawaii since mid-2015 and are continuing to work on other Enhanced 911 features, such as sending videos and photos by phone, Tagupa said.
More information is available online at 1.usa.gov/25M2BiX.
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