Texting 911 your emergencies NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – The way we use 911 is about to get a 21st century upgrade. 22News is working for you to see how people feel about texting their emergencies. The four major wireless companies are on board to integrate texting technology to 911. 240-million calls are made to 911 every year. One-third of those are made from cell phones. You would simply text 911, along with your emergency and location. The text pops up at a call center, where someone will text back that emergency personnel are on the way. One potential hurdle: unlike a phone call, sending a text won’t give away a location, so a prankster would be harder to track down. 22News asked people if they would ever text an emergency. “It depends on the situation. In a domestic abuse situation where you don’t want the other person to hear you, probably a great idea. If my leg was broken or I was in a car accident, I would want to have the person on the phone. A 911 operator would typically talk you through the whole thing and that’s really good support to have in an emergency,” said Dustin Orcutt. Right now, 16 states have full or limited 911 texting capabilities. Supporters say texting 911 can be more discreet than a phone call, which may save lives for people in trouble.
Posted on: Thu, 15 May 2014 19:39:42 +0000
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