Officials in New Jersey have unveiled a new statewide system for people to text 9-1-1 when a regular call is not an option.
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Seventy percent of 911 calls are placed from a cell phone, said Attorney General Christopher Porrino, citing data from the Federal Communications Commission.
The attorney general’s office says people across the state can reach emergency services by text in addition to calls, which can be valuable for people with impaired hearing or who can’t talk for whatever reason.
People can get help by sending a text to 911 (no spaces or dashes).
The state’s Division of Deaf and Hard of Hearing was also there to share the news to those with hearing loss.
State officials also warn users that photos and videos can not be received by dispatchers and translation services are not available.
The program was made possible through a partnership between state officials and the four largest cellular companies. With the text-to-911 capability, all dispatchers needed was a properly configured computer, a secure Internet connection and a short training session.
More than 650 emergency call centers in almost 40 states have the capability to field text messages, the FCC reports. “But we recognize that there are circumstances in which people witness suspicious activity, people are in danger or people who are in desperate need of medical help who simply can not talk, but are able to text”.
Camden County was the first in New Jersey to unveil its text-to-911 system in March.
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They also warn that if you are hiding in a risky situation to be careful of the noise your phone could make while texting.
