Minnesotans have been dialing 911 for emergency help since 1968. On Tuesday, the state rolled out a statewide program allowing Minnesotans to text 911 for help as well.
State officials still encourage calling 911 when possible, but texting is a first option for the deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing. And it’s an alternative option for those who might put themselves in jeopardy by calling.
“There are certain emergencies where if you speak, it will actually put you in more harm,” said Bob Hawkins, assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Home invasions, kidnapping and domestic violence are a few of those situations.
This also is the first time Minnesotans with limited ability to hear or speak will be able to communicate directly with emergency services.
“You can imagine the fear and overwhelm in trying to explain your emergency situation and trying to get help when there’s a communication barrier,” said Anne Sittner-Anderson, communications coordinator for the Commission of Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans.
About 20 percent of Minnesotans — or more than 1 million people — are deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing, according to the commission.
Because texting takes much longer, officials emphasized that it should only be used if calling is not an option.
Dispatchers can communicate with multiple people texting at a time to make up for lost time waiting for responses.
As dispatchers receive emergency texts, they will send confirmation that they received the message and will encourage the people texting to call if possible.
Fewer than 20 percent of dispatch centers nationwide are equipped to respond to 911 texts. The states that have rolled out this program usually unveiled it progressively rather than all at once.
State officials have been working on this since 2014, when all 104 of the state’s Public Safety Answering Points were connected to a network allowing them to accept texts. It wasn’t until this year, however, that the dispatch centers received the capability to view texts.
Previously, texts sent to 911 would have bounced back to the sender with a note saying dispatch centers could not receive texts. The deployment was funded by 911 fees.
“We’ve been anticipating this day for a long time,” said Scott Williams, deputy county manager for the Ramsey County Safety And Justice Service Team.
HOW TO TEXT 911
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s dos and don’ts:
- DO enter the numbers 911 in the “to” field.
- DO text your exact address and type of emergency. (Dispatchers will not automatically have location information.)
- DO send the message.
- DO use simple words.
- DON’T use abbreviations. (Not all dispatchers understand them.)
- DON’T use emojis. (Dispatch centers cannot receive them.)
- DO keep the message to 160 characters or less. (Longer texts may be received out of order or not at all.)
- DO answer questions and follow instructions quickly.
- DON’T send pictures or other multimedia. (Dispatch centers cannot receive them.)
- DON’T text if you’re able to call.
- DON’T text and drive.
- DON’T text 911 just to try it out. (Texting or calling 911 with a false report is a crime.)