It’s another step towards the future of 911.
Earlier this week, the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) announced they would be offering the deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, and speech impaired community a 911 texting service.
According to BRFA fire chief Jay Melvin, the addition is one of the stages involved with integrating next generation 911.
The text to 911 program allows for those with hearing or speech impairments to communicate their needs to operators in a unique way.
Melvin said the first step in registering for the program is signing up through your service provider.
“The next thing they do is go to textwith911.ca,” he added.
On the website are videos that detail how it works.
“When you dial 911, if you’re registered, on our screen it says that your phone has text capability, which means we’re dealing with someone who has an impairment for hearing,” explained Melvin. “What happens then is the dispatcher sends a message back to the phone (the person is) calling from.”
The caller will be able to text with the dispatcher what’s going on.
While this service is currently only available to those with hearing impairments in emergency situations, it’s expected to grow even further over the next few years.
Melvin said, “(Text 911) is another great stride towards the next generation where 911 will be going in the future... You’ll be able to text or pass a video of exactly what’s going on on-scene right to the call centre. That information can be pushed down straight to RCMP and Alberta Health Services. It’s a great service for us to get done, and another way we’re trying to provide the best level of service that we can to our community.”
The upgrade is mandated through the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and will help bring the BRFA’s very own 911 dispatch up to their expectations.
This program is just one of the many upgrades the regional fire department has made in order to “keep up with technology, and with the new Alberta standards for 911.”
“This is the standard for the CRTC, where next generation 911 needs to go. This is just a key component of us offering another level of service to ensure everybody in the community has the same opportunity and the same resources to emergency services,” Melvin added.
For more information, visit textwith911.ca.
