When it comes to reaching out to 911 in the case of an emergency, time is of the essence. While it may seem like picking up the phone and making call would accomplish that, there several scenarios where that course of action is either not advised or impossible.
According to a recent article from The Dallas Morning News, many North Texas public safety agencies have started incorporating text messages as a way to add another avenue for residents to reach out for help.
Richardson communications manager Liz Cole told the news source that this is a journey into the future. Texting to 911 will grow in demand once the availability of the service is more well known. She added that the organization needs to be able to support the public's expectations, which includes the national and local perspective that 911 can be accessed from any and all devices.
This service is needed because there are situations where sending a text message is the only option.
"We have heard some bad stories of deaf and hard of hearing people struggling to connect to 911 through relay services in times of emergency, especially via mobile devices," said Andrew Phillips, an attorney for the National Association of the Deaf. "We believe that being able to text 911 will make 911 easier to reach and more accessible."
The use of an SMS service for connecting with 911 systems is growing more popular across the U.S. This shows how important text messages have become when it comes to communication between individuals and businesses.
