Nova Scotia first in Canada to offer 911 text service
Posted Jan 16, 2015 08:49:39 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Hearing and speech impaired Nova Scotians faced with an emergency used to have to use a landline to call 911, then communicate through a teletype device.
Now there is a new program in the province that will allow those in need to get help on their cell phones using a text-based service.
Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office’s director of 911, Paul Mason, told News 95.7 users need to pre-register on a website, textwith911.ca.
“It will basically allow you to select your carrier and the specific phone that you have, then you follow the steps through the various carrier’s websites in order to be registered,” said Mason.
Mason said there’s over 50,000 Nova Scotians in the province who have some degree of hearing loss or speech impairment which could benefit from the service.
He explained once registered, users with an emergency will still have to dial 911 on their phones first.
“The 911 call-taker will recognize that that’s someone who is registered for text communication, and then they will begin a text chat or communication back with them to determine the nature of the emergency and their location,” Mason said.
For more information or to sign up for the service, go to textwith911.ca.
