By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
As of Tuesday, Rhode Islanders can send a text message to 911 and the state’s emergency call center can respond by notifying police, fire or rescue services.
The switch follows years of gathering equipment, purchasing software worth about $750,000 and recent staff training, said Gregory Scungio, Acting Director of the Rhode Island E-911 Uniform Emergency Telephone System.
“Text to 911 provides an option for those under duress, or suffering a medical episode who are not able to place a voice call,” said Scungio at a news conference and demonstration on Tuesday at State Police headquarters in Scituate, where the E-911 system is based.
“Text to 911 is very important for the deaf and hard of hearing community in Rhode Island, said Pamela Zellner, Interim Executive Director of the Rhode Island Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
“That way they can seek and get immediate assistance during any emergency situations,” she said, adding that about 210,000 Rhode Islanders are deaf or hard of hearing.
Scungio asked that those sending messages provide a brief description of the emergency, specifying the exact location, and to keep messages under 140 characters, without any attachments such as pictures, or any emojis.
He said that voice messages are preferred, because unlike texts, they offer the caller’s specific location through triangulation, and the ability of his E-911 staffers to respond more quickly.
“We encourage everybody, call if you can, text if you can’t,” Scungio said.
