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One person reported trouble breathing while waiting at a local Park-N-Ride. Elsewhere in Weld County, a woman was being held at knifepoint by her boyfriend. For another person, a typical day of travel turned into an emergency after the tracheostomy tube they depend on to breathe became dislodged, resulting in lightheadedness. And a young person, struggling with mental health issues, was considering harming herself.
While each of these individuals faced a different emergency this past year, their stories have one thing in common: Text-to-911 was the tool utilized to receive lifesaving help when calling wasn’t an option or would put them in immediate danger — two of the main reasons behind the decision to make the service available in Weld County nearly four years ago.
Since that time, more than 1,500 Text-to-911 sessions have been initiated into the Weld County Regional Communications Center (WCRCC) resulting in a total of 7,640 incoming messages and 6,680 outgoing messages.
And although calling 911 for emergency help is still the preferred way to reach dispatchers, for those approximate 375 times a year a person utilizes the Text-to-911 service, having a second method of receiving help is extremely beneficial.
Such success stories have only been made possible thanks to the foresight of Weld County Commissioners and Public Safety personnel. The first step came in 2013, when the commissioners made the decision to transition dispatch services and the WCRCC from the City of Greeley to Weld County Government. From there, significant investments were made to Public Safety’s Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System over the next two years to not only strengthen traditional 911 service but prepare for technological advancements such as Text-to-911 in the future. After the Federal Communications Commission ordered the nation’s major cellular providers to provide Text-to-911 service to any Public Safety Answering Point that requested it by 2015, Weld County’s Public Safety personnel immediately began working to make it available.
“It was imperative that we utilized new technology to ensure 911 was available to everyone,” said Tina Powell, WCRCC Director. “Making 911 easily available to individuals who were hard of hearing or who had speech impediments was important. At the same time, the technology also allowed us to communicate with people in situations where calling may put them in danger, which greatly improves our ability to facilitate emergency response to people when they need it most.”
Powell, who oversaw dispatchers in her role as WCRCC Manager during Text-to-911’s implementation, said facilitating emergency response from a text message isn’t that different from a voice call. However, dispatchers spent time learning the service’s limitations — arguably the most important being that the system recognized text only. No videos or photos sent over text would be recognized. Staff also worked with major cellular providers to make the service available to their customers and with various fire districts and police departments to serve as responding agencies throughout Weld County.
After describing the situations where Text-to-911 proved an asset in the lives of people this year, Powell is proud of its positive impact and is eager to see how the service continues to be an asset in the future.
“We’ve always been committed to providing the best emergency service possible to the people of Weld County, and Text-to-911 is one of the features we’ve used to do just that,” she said. “As technology advances, we’ll continue to explore ways to make our 911 service even more responsive and effective.”
Tips to remember when texting 911
Promoted under the national theme, Call if You Can, Text if You Can’t, it’s important to remember that calling should always be the first option considered when trying to contact 911. However, if calling isn’t an option or doing so may put you in danger, don’t hesitate to text 911. Text-to-911 is available to anyone in Weld County with text messaging enabled on their phone whose provider supports the service. Currently, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile have made the service available.
When texting 911 please remember: Be clear, be concise and be cautious
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Be clear – Provide dispatchers with only pertinent information (what’s the emergency, who’s in danger, etc.) Be ready to provide other details, including location, when asked, and avoid using text slang (How R U? l8r, OMG, SMH, etc.)
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Be concise – Currently, Text-to-911 can only support words. Avoid sending pictures and videos as they won’t be seen.
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Be cautious – When texting 911 in an evolving situation, such as a robbery, be sure your phone is on silent mode with all alert and notification sounds disabled.
“Calling 911 is still preferred, but if you’re not sure which one to use, don’t hesitate to text,” Powell said. “911 is always a call away, but in some cases, texting allows us to be even closer to a situation. A call or a text, either can save a life.”
By Baker Geist, Weld County Communications Specialist
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