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Text with 9-1-1 service is now widely available for those who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired (DHHSI) in Canadian communities.
Thunder Bay’s T9-1-1 services have been available for just over two years with 17 individuals registered with Tbaytel Mobility to utilize this service. This is just one more example of the Thunder Bay Police Service working to meet the needs of the community and ensuring access to emergency service whenever needed.
“Text with 9-1-1 can be a lifeline for deaf, deafened, hard of hearing and speech impaired Canadians. Have you registered for the new service yet?” asks Tammy Fedoruk, Communications Manager at the Thunder Bay Police Service.
T911 Day is a day to create national awareness of the Text with 911 services for the members of Canada’s Deaf, Deafened, Hard of Hearing and Speech Impaired (DHHSI) community and to encourage as many members of this community as possible to register for the service, including family members.
It’s easy! Just register your cell phone with your wireless service provider and then in the event of an emergency, dial 911 just like you were making a voice call even if you can’t speak.
The 911 operator will receive an indicator that advises them to communicate with you via text messaging. Don’t hang up and soon you will receive your first text message from the 911 operator. Please be patient, as emergency text communication takes longer to initiate, especially during peak emergency situations.
The 9-1-1 call takers will be making their best efforts to quickly send the initial text message.
A reminder that Text to 911 is not yet available for the general public and that voice calling remains the best and most effective way to access 911 services.
Text to 911 for everyone may be available in the future as the nationwide 911 infrastructure evolves.
Agencies/Canadajournal
