PORT HADLOCK — Those in distress can now alert emergency services across the North Olympic Peninsula by sending a text message instead of phoning.
Call centers prefer voice calls so they can acquire more information, but the added service will benefit many, said emergency dispatch center directors.
“This is very important for people who are hard of hearing or have speech difficulties, or those who aren’t in the position to speak clearly,” said Karl Hatton, director of Jefferson County’s JeffCom 911.
“We’d prefer they call,” he added. “When someone texts us, we won’t get accurate location information and we can’t hear background noises or judge the stress level in their voices.”
People with hearing disabilities won’t need a special device to communicate, Hatton said, and those in domestic violence situations who are not able to speak can seek help via text message.
In Clallam County, PenCom director Steve Romberg said the service will be available in any areas where the four major carriers — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile — offer service.
“There are some places that don’t get good cell service where voice calls can be difficult,” Romberg said.
“People can use text to contact us in those cases.”
A text to 9-1-1 in an area where the service is not available will result in an immediate bounce-back.
As of Monday, anyone with a smartphone that includes a text plan can type “911” in the address field and text the details of the incident directly to call centers in Jefferson and Clallam counties.
The text pops up in a window on the 9-1-1 computer, allowing the dispatcher to carry on a text conversation with the caller.
The dispatcher also has access to what Hatton calls “canned messages” asking for the location and other details.
The system has been under development for two years and was in test mode for two months, Hatton said.
As of Wednesday, no callers had used text to report an incident, he said.
Romberg said PenCom hasn’t yet fielded any actual calls, although there have been a few pranks: people texting “I love you” and “hi.”
Anyone in an emergency situation should use plain language and avoid using abbreviations or emoticons, according to a news release.
Callers should not attempt to send attachments such as pictures or videos, as the call center does not have the ability to open them, the release stated.
Smartphone, active data plan
It will work only on a smartphone with an active data plan; if the caller has not activated text capabilities, the messages will not go through.
Some carriers have more sophisticated location technology than others, but phones cannot be easily triangulated to show their location in a rural area.
“In order to locate a phone, there needs to be two or three towers that are close to each other,” Hatton said.
“In rural areas, the best you can do is to determine the phone is located 22 miles northeast of a specific tower, which is impossible to pinpoint.”
Hatton said the program is the result of a federal requirement to add the service.
He said all Washington counties are working toward offering the service but that he expects some inconsistencies because each county separately administers its emergency services.
Phone carriers, he said, are attempting to implement technology that will better pinpoint a texter’s location.
“In the future, we will be better able to track people down, both by street address and vertically,” he said.
“We will be able to track a signal to determine which floor of a multiple-story building that a call originates.”
Hatton said JeffCom 911 and PenCom are both looking to get the word out about the new service. It was the topic of JeffCom 911’s weekly test message, stating, “Call 911 if you can, text only if you can’t.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.