911 texting service launches in B.C.

Deaf and speech impaired British Columbians now have a way to interact with 911 operators if an emergency happens.

Regional districts around British Columbia’s central and southern interior announced that a specialized text service will allow people who are deaf/deaf-blind, hard-of-hearing or speech impaired to speak with 911 operators.

The communication will happen over text messages.

It’s called Text with 911 and it’s all because of E-Comm – the emergency communications centre that answers 911 calls in the central and southern interior.

“T9-1-1 is a vital connection to police, fire and ambulance and enables quick communication between a Deaf caller and emergency services,” remarked Gordon Rattray, Treasurer of the Okanagan Valley Association of the Deaf (OVAD).

“In the past Deaf people were limited by communication barriers and would have to use phone relay or TTY (telephone typewriter) which would take five or ten minutes longer. The OVAD is very excited to have T9-1-1 in the interior regional districts and we look forward to helping promote the availability of this service with the DHHSI community. We’re proud of this enhancement to emergency services that E-Comm provides.”

The service is now available throughout the Central Okanagan, North Okanagan, Central Kootenay, Columbia—Shuswap, Okanagan-Similkameen, Thompson-Nicola, East Kootenay, Kootenay-Boundary and Squamish-Lillooet regional districts.

Callers must register their phone with the wireless carrier to communicate with police, fire and ambulance via text messages. People first call 911 to establish a voice network and then initiate the special messaging technology.

“This new enhanced level of service is something we’ve eagerly anticipated being able to provide for residents with hearing or speech impairments who need help from police, fire or ambulance services,” said Gail Given, Chair of the Regional District of Central Okanagan.

“It is important for people in the Central Okanagan DHHSI community who have not yet registered for this service to do so now, and for them to learn more about how the service works and what to expect should they need to use T9-1-1 during an emergency.”

It’s important to remember, voice calling remains the only way to communicate with 911 for a person who is not deaf. Texting 911 will not get you to speak to an emergency worker.

To register your cellphone and to learn more about how the system works, visit TextWith911.