The Edmonton Police Service, which operates the Edmonton 911 PSAP, is working in conjunction with Edmonton Fire Rescue, Alberta Health Services EMS, TELUS, and other partners, to ensure that Edmonton is Text with 911 ready as soon as technologically possible.
Although the Text with 911 service is not planned to go live in Edmonton until later this year, members of the local DHHSI communities are encouraged to register with their wireless service providers now to ensure that they have access to the service when it becomes available.
“Our goal is a smooth roll out to the community with no interruptions to emergency services,” says Insp. Erik Johnson with the EPS Communications Branch. “We’re currently working with TELUS to implement the necessary infrastructure, and with our emergency services partners to train personnel on the new system. When the system is in place and has been tested, we will inform the community that the Edmonton 911 PSAP is Text 911 ready.”
The ability to communicate with 911 operators via text from mobile phones is seen as a vast improvement over the Teletype Terminal (TTY) or Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) technology that is currently utilized. Individuals who previously depended on TTY and TDD on their landlines will now have the freedom of using their mobile phone to call 911 from anywhere at any time, greatly improving health and safety. Once the new Text with 911 service is implemented, TTY and TDD will still continue as options to connect with 911.
Over the last three and a half years, Edmonton’s 911 PSAP has received approximately 119 TTY / TDD calls. In Edmonton, there are approximately 8,000 deaf and 188,000 hard-of-hearing individuals who could utilize the new Text 911 service.
Text with 911 is currently not available in Edmonton. The Text with 911 service in Canada is limited to the DHHSI communities and not for the general public. For the general public, the most effective way to communicate with 911 services remains a voice call.
For more information and updates on Text with 911, please visit www.textwith911.ca.