Emergency text messaging services are a technology that enables emergency call operators to receive text messages.[1] Its use is encouraged for people with hearing impairment or who have trouble speaking; it can also be used for situations when calling may pose a safety risk, such as a home invasion or domestic abuse.[2] Concerns mainly arise from the accessibility of such technologies as they are not universally applied and may be inconsistent; therefore, voice calls are generally preferred for its speed, accessibility, and clarity.[3]
The technology allows an individual that requires emergency assistance may text an emergency number as opposed to calling it. Emergency services are conventionally reached through voice-based calls dialling an emergency telephone number. However, such systems assume that the caller is able to communicate by voice and may exclude the impaired. It is generally presented as an alternative, and not as a replacement, to calling (which is still preferred.)[4] Texting to emergency services present themselves as a viable alternative if the individual is disabled, in a situation where speaking out loud would compromise the caller's safety, where speaking would impede help, or where network coverage is limited, as text messages take up less data.[5] Some services require prior registration (such as in Singapore and the United Kingdom, see below), some are strictly for the medically impaired, while most are available for usage by the public-at-large as necessary.
Unlike 911 used in the United States, Australia uses triple zero as its emergency number. As of November 22nd 2023, contacting emergency services through texting 000 is not currently possible. However, for individuals with hearing or speech impairment, 106 remains the only option, as it is accessed via a teletypewriter (TTY.)[6]
Texting to emergency services is adopted in Canada in the form of T9-1-1, however it is not as mature or accessible as the systems found elsewhere. The system is strictly for used by the 'deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, or speech impaired persons' and is not available for the general public. [7] Furthermore, a voice call to 911 must be made to initiate the text connection and cannot be contacted simply by texting to 911. It also requires registration and a valid messaging plan. It is also noted that coverage is not as extensive compared to other nations, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police discourages its usage unless medically necessary.[8]
In France, there is a separate phone number for the deaf and hearing impaired, 114. It is separate from the phone numbers 15, 17, 18 or 112. Through this service, individuals can contact emergency services through text and an application. However, it is not strictly restricted to disabled individuals and there is no registration process; the Deputy Director stated that it is for 'anyone... even temporarily.'[9]
In Singapore, a joint initiative called the Emergency Short Message Service Helpline Services
Texting emergency services in Britain is offered by Relay UK.[11] through a service called emergencySMS (eSMS).[12] Similar to the system in Singapore, individuals must register beforehand to use the service; however it is done in the UK by texting 'register' to 999 instead of contacting a separate association. [13] It was first proposed as a early day motion (EDM) in Parliament[14] and implemented in the United Kingdom in 2009 for impaired individuals.[15]
In the United States, the technology is referred to as Text-to-911. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) maintains a registry of areas supporting text-to-911. All carriers are required to send bounce-back messages to inform the sender that the message could not be received if the technology is not supported by the local call centre.[16] Text-to-911 has been supported by the four major cellular providers in the United States since 2014,[17] but, it is only supported by approximately 1,600 of more than 6,000 emergency call centres.[18]
Below is the list of individual states and territories of the United States of America, sorted by alphabetical order, and their implementation of Text-to-911 (as of July 2024):[19]
| State | Two Letter Code | Supporting Text to 911 | Latest Addition on Registry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | Yes | January 29, 2021 | ||
| Alaska | AK | Yes | April 20, 2024 | |
| Arizona | AZ | Yes[20] | July 3, 2024 | |
| Arkansas | AR | Yes | June 31, 2023 | |
| AS | No | N/A | ||
| California | CA | Yes | April 30, 2024 | |
| CO | Yes | July 3, 2024 | ||
| Connecticut | CT | Yes[21] | December 21, 2017 | |
| Delaware | DE | Yes[22] | August 17, 2016 | |
| District of Colombia | DC | Yes | June 22, 2017 | |
| Florida | FL | Yes | February 2, 2017 | |
| Georgia | GA | Yes | February 2, 2017 | |
| Guam | GU | No | N/A | |
| Hawaii | HI | Yes | May 25, 2015 | |
| Idaho | ID | Yes | November 14, 2017 | |
| Illinois | IL | Yes | July 3, 2024 | |
| Indiana | IN | Yes[23] | November 3, 2023 | |
| Iowa | IA | Yes[24] | September 29, 2023 | |
| Kansas | KS | Yes | September 29, 2023 | |
| Kentucky | KY | Yes | February 29, 2024 | |
| LA | Yes | March 24, 2023 | ||
| Maine | ME | Yes[25] | July 31, 2023 | |
| Maryland | MD | Yes | February 29, 2024 | |
| Massachusetts | MA | Yes | July 15, 2022 | |
| Michigan | MI | Yes | November 3, 2023 | |
| Minnesota | MN | Yes[26] | November 30, 2021 | |
| Mississippi | MS | Yes | April 30, 2024 | |
| Missouri | MO | Yes | September 29, 2023 | |
| Montana | MT | Yes | February 29, 2024 | |
| Nebraska | NE | Yes | April 29, 2022 | |
| Nevada | NV | Yes | April 30, 2024 | |
| New Hampshire | NH | Yes[27] | March 2, 2015 | |
| New Jersey | NJ | Yes | October 5, 2015 | |
| New Mexico | NM | No | N/A | |
| New York | NY | Yes | February 28, 2018 | |
| North Carolina | NC | Yes | August 31, 2017 | |
| North Dakota | ND | Yes[28] | February 28, 2022 | |
| Northern Mariana Islands | MP | No | N/A | |
| Ohio | OH | Yes | December 4, 2023 | |
| OK | Yes | July 3, 2024 | ||
| Oregon | OR | Yes | February 16, 2016 | |
| Pennsylvania | PA | Yes | January 31, 2024 | |
| Puerto Rico | PR | Yes | June 22, 2015 | |
| Rhode Island | RI | No | N/A | |
| South Carolina | SC | Yes | July 3, 2024 | |
| South Dakota | SD | Yes[29] | November 25, 2020 | |
| TN | Yes | July 3, 2024 | ||
| Texas | TX | Yes | April 30, 2024 | |
| UT | Yes | October 5, 2015 | ||
| Vermont | VT | Yes | June 24, 2015 | |
| Virginia | VA | Yes | June 2, 2023 | |
| Virgin Islands | VI | Yes | July 31, 2023 | |
| Washington (state) | WA | Yes | January 31, 2024 | |
| West Virginia | WV | Yes | March 24, 2023 | |
| Wisconsin | WI | Yes | July 3, 2024 | |
| Wyoming | WY | Yes | September 30, 2020 |
Call centres in the United States are usually funded by both state and federal funding, therefore limited funding and outdated technology have slowed the widespread adoption of text-to-911. Moreover, many communities are concerned about overuse of texting, which may slow response times. This leads to decreased local allocation of resources and funding as it is not conclusive whether text-to-911 is effective to invest in, thereby relying on federal funding which may be slower.
In August 2009, Waterloo, Iowa, was the first county to begin receiving texts to 911.[31]