Sarah French - Fox61, Hartford, CT
With the passing of Sarah’s dear friend and colleague, Alice Morrin, it was brought to her attention Alice’s inability to text 911 while she was hiding from her husband and could not afford for him to hear her. In the last moments of her life, Alice sent a series of text messages to a friend. When moments felt like hours, Alice resorted to calling 911. While Alice was on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, she was shot and killed by her husband.
Recently, State Representative Stephen Dargan (D-West Haven) held a forum, regarding 911 text messaging. He plans to introduce legislation to upgrade the state’s 911 system to make text messaging available to send directly to 911 dispatchers. Sarah’s article - questioning if an improved 911 system could have prevented Alice’s death - was attached to the press release.
The speakers included Peter White (Executive Director, Public Policy, AT&T), Marissa Mitrovich (Director of Northeast Government Affairs, Verizon Wireless), John Danaher (Commissioner, Dept. of Public Safety) and Peter Boynton (Commissioner, Department of Emergency Management & Homeland Security).
Marissa Mitrovich (Director of Northeast Government Affairs, Verizon Wireless) said the millions of text messages sent daily by cellphone users are handled equally by carries, so a 911 message could sit for hours before it is delivered.
Peter White (Executive Director, Public Policy, AT&T) said 911 texting will be possible when the emergency dispatch system is upgraded from copper-based land lines to a fiber-optic-based system capable of receiving digital information, such as texting and videos.
In the meeting, no one was willing to predict how long it may take state and federal agencies to resolve the equipment, security and technical roadblocks to 911 texting.
According to John Danaher (Commissioner, Dept. of Public Safety), until then, it’s still best to call and talk directly to a dispatcher. But he’s not giving up on the idea, here in Connecticut. He believes, down the road, Connecticut could be one of the first states to offer the service.
Currently, Blackhawk County dispatch center, in Waterloo, Iowa, is the only location to have 911 texting in place.
The upgrade is designed for three main reasons: for the hearing impaired, for the younger generation, and for victims who can't afford for someone to hear them.
According to Judy Flores from the BlackHawk County 911 Call Center, the most important thing is to know your location. Call centers are currently working on a way to identify location from the text, since at the moment the operator has to text back, through the computer, and ask for the city or zip code.
For now, only subscribers to i wireless, a local carrier with T-Mobile USA, will be able to use the service.
Still, the company that set up the upgrade, Intrado, is already in talks with other carriers, suggesting that it shouldn't be long before other call centers follow suit.
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