It is that time of year when 9-1-1 public educators share
emergency services information with the public including showing appreciation
to their 9-1-1 public safety telecommunicators during National Public Safety
Telecommunicators Week (April 8-14, 2018). But this year is especially unique,
because 9-1-1 is also celebrating 50 years of service since the first 9-1-1
call took place.
For those of you who do not know, telecommunicators, also
known as call-takers or dispatchers, are individuals who work for an emergency
service provider (usually 9-1-1) and are qualified to answer incoming emergency
telephone calls and provide for the appropriate emergency response. They work tremendously
hard each and every day answering the tough 9-1-1 calls in an effort to get the
public the emergency services they need.
In 1991, Congress recognized telecommunicator’s efforts and
created a special week distinguishing who they are and the importance they play
in the community. In 2008, the House of Representatives passed a resolution to
increase national awareness about the importance and appropriate use of 9-1-1
and created a month solely dedicated to 9-1-1 education. With this, Congress encouraged
public awareness events, advertising campaigns, outreach activities and
training/education for parents and teachers.
Below are some important messages and current issues that
the public should be more aware of so that they can get the most out of 9-1-1
services.
Call
if You Can, Text if You Can’t: Many agencies are working
hard to make this available across the United States. While some areas have
rolled out text to 9-1-1, there are still many areas that do not have text to
9-1-1. If you see a sign or information in your region promoting that you can
text to 9-1-1, then you can guarantee it is available. But if you do not, then
please assume you can’t text to 9-1-1 and please call 9-1-1 if you need help.
Keep in mind that if you do text to 9-1-1 and it is NOT available in your area,
you will receive a bounce back message instructing you to please call 9-1-1 for
help.
Know
Your Location: Many people have smart phones these days. And
on these smart phones we have maps that show us where we are, so it doesn’t
seem farfetched to think that if we have GPS in our phone, then 9-1-1 should be
able to find us when we call. This is actually not the case. When you call 9-1-1 from a cell phone/smart phone,
dispatchers are only able to see approximately where you are and not
specifically where you are located. As Next Generation 9-1-1 continues to
upgrade 9-1-1 capabilities, this will soon change. But for now, please remember
to always know your location. Look for mile markers, landmarks, cross streets
and addresses on buildings. This information could potentially save lives!
Kari’s
Law:
A new law that business service users and the public should be aware of is
Kari’s Law. This law has to do with providing direct access to 9-1-1 from a
multi-user telephone line (MLTS). Prior to Kari’s Law (in Texas, not all states
have this law in place), if you tried to dial 9-1-1 from a motel phone or a
similar phone where you need to dial 9 or another digit first to get an outside
line, you would not always get connected to 9-1-1. Now with Kari’s Law in
place, business service users with MLTS phones must have their phones set to be
able to dial 9-1-1 directly without dialing an extra digit first. For more info
on Kari’s Law visit here. Most
recently, President Trump signed into law Kari’s Law at the federal level. You
can read more about the federal bill in an article posted here.
Please remember that 9-1-1 is for emergency use only and
should never be abused or used for fun. It not only helps save lives, but is an
important tool in helping our community get the aid they need. For more
information on 9-1-1 education, please visit www.csec.texas.gov.
******** NENA Debuts
New Videos for 9-1-1 Education Month **********
Check out this video link thanking 9-1-1 professionals for
the hard work they do year-round: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIEQI0-cZdc
Check out this video link highlighting the need for Next
Generation 9-1-1 which would enhance the current 9-1-1 system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hprnnA-8d5c
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