If you’re in an emergency situation and you just can’t call, you can now text 911.
The text-to-911 capability launched Tuesday in Clark County and six other counties in Oregon, making it possible for people using cell phones to communicate with a dispatcher if speaking isn’t an option.
Using the motto “Call if you can, text if you can’t,” the program was publicly announced after 18 months of coordination with various government agencies.
Along with Clark County, people reporting emergencies in Oregon can also text 911 within Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, and Marion counties.
“Texting should only — only — be used if the person is not able to use voice to call 911,” said Kris DeVore, operations manager at Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency.
The delay in typing a text message and a dispatcher reading the message and then typing the response all costs precious moments that could be used to get emergency responders there faster, she said.
DeVore offered a list of scenarios where texting could be more helpful than calling: a domestic violence altercation, an in-progress burglary or if someone finds themselves the passenger in a car with an impaired driver. In these situations, she said, texting can get the reporting person help without letting anyone else know they have requested it. Texting also requires less bandwidth, so someone who is unable to make a call may be able to get information out via text message.
In fact, the agencies participated in a three-month soft launch of the program, during which regional dispatchers received 61 emergency requests via text message.
“The capability has already proven useful, even though the public was not aware of its existence,” said Leslie Taylor, spokeswoman for the Lake Oswego Police Department.
“We certainly have a generation that relies almost exclusively on text messages, so it’s important to have that technology available,” said Andrew Phelps, director of Oregon Office of Emergency Management.
Phelps cautioned that though texting has become a more popular form of communication, voice calls will always be faster in emergencies. Still, he said, the advancement is a good one.
“It shows, I think, a forward-leaning proactive approach to making sure that the tools that our community expects and needs to summon help are available,” he said.
An important group that the project aimed to meet the needs of were those who can’t call.
Donna Nicklin, who is on the board of directors of the Oregon Association of the Deaf, was consulted throughout the project. She said that Tuesday was a big day because the technology expands access to those who are deaf and hard of hearing.
“It’s very exciting,” she said through a sign language interpreter. “For the deaf and hard of hearing community, it is very huge.”
There’s no additional cost to the Clark County residents, DeVore said, with the increase in technology costs covered by CRESA’s normal budget and the 911 tax, a tax added to each phone bill.
DeVore also said that from what she’s seen from jurisdictions around the country who have already implemented the technology, the increases in the volume of requests to 911 centers is minimal.
The technology does not allow for the sending of photos or emojis, DeVore said, and texters are asked to stay away from using acronyms — they mean different things to different people.
She also added that cellphone data does not give good location information, so advised those calling or texting 911 to know their location.
“It’s not changing how 911 center operates, it just adds another tool for the public to access emergency services,” she said.
