GREENFIELD — Local emergency dispatchers have used nearly 8,000 text messages since 2015 to communicate with residents who might need help.
And that puts Hancock County among the Indiana counties using text-to-911 most frequently, state treasurer Kelly Mitchell said.
Mitchell, who chairs the Indiana Statewide 911 Board, is this month visiting the 25 Indiana counties that are having the most success communicating with residents via text message rather than phone calls, in certain situations.
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But dispatchers are using the program to reach out to residents far more often than residents are using it to ask for help, Mitchell’s found in her travels, she said. She’s hoping her tour of the state will draw more attention to text-to-911 and remind Hoosiers it’s there when a call for help might not be an option.
Text-to-911 became available statewide in 2016. In the first year, 173,213 texts were sent to and from dispatchers in Indiana, according to the treasurer’s office. Indiana’s dispatch centers now receive an average of between 500 and 600 text-to-911 calls every day, according to the The Associated Press.
Text-to-911 has been available in Hancock County since early 2015 — then, just 11 Indiana counties offered text-to-911 — and each year that followed thousands of texts were sent between dispatchers and residents here, local records show.
In its first year, 1,900 texts were sent between dispatchers and 911-callers. The program’s peak so far came in 2016 when 2,500 texts were sent. Another 2,055 were sent in 2017; and so far this year, 1,350 texts were sent.
The vast majority of those texts were sent from a dispatcher to a person who is potentially in need, said John Jokantas, Hancock County emergency operations director.
Dispatchers utilize text-to-911 most often to reach out to people who have called 911 but hung up before speaking with a dispatcher, Jokantas said. Typically the person has dialed for help by mistake, but dispatchers always double check.
In the past, they had to redial the number and ask the person on the other end if there is an emergency. Now, they just shoot out a text, he said.
It’s one area where text-to-911 has benefited all first-responders, Jokantas said.
Some folks were afraid to answer a callback from 911, so dispatchers would have to send a police officer to the caller’s location. Text messages are less jarring, it seems, because people answer more readily, Jokantas said. And if everything is OK, dispatchers haven’t clogged up their phone lines and police can keep to their usual patrols.
In keeping up with technological advances, emergency operations centers will soon be able to receive cellphone photos and videos, said Jennifer Haag of the Indiana Statewide 911 Board.
This too will aid in emergency response because it will give dispatchers a better grasp of the level of the emergency unfolding.
Because of their training, a dispatcher will better understand the seriousness of a car accident or fire if they see it firsthand, rather than having it described to them by a nervous or frightened caller, Haag said. The dispatcher, after looking at a photo or video, will be able to relay what they see to first-responders and send the proper help.
There are certain emergency scenarios that lend themselves well to texts rather than calls, Mitchell said. People reporting downed power lines or fallen tree limbs during times of heavy rain or thunderstorms, for example, can use texts rather than phone calls. This, too, keeps phone lines at 911 centers free for more pressing emergencies, she said.
But when used properly, text messages allow callers to communicate with authorities inconspicuously, Mitchell said. In the event of a break-in or an intruder emergency at an office or school, text messages give those in need a way to communicate with first-responders without giving away their location to an assailant.
Text-to-911 programs began within the nation’s deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. As technology developed and text communications became more popular, it seemed fitting that 911 communications develop as well, officials said.
The Federal Communications Commission requires all wireless carriers to allow emergency texts to be sent and received in the United States. Still, 911 call centers can elect not to accept emergency texts, and some states still do not support the technology, the FCC website states.
So if you’re in an unfamiliar area, calling is always better, Mitchell said.
Texts to 911 should be treated just like an emergency phone call, she said. Within the first message, users should include their name, location, the nature of their emergency, and any other information first-responders might need to know. Then help will be on the way, she said.
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Use locally of the state’s text-to-911 program has been popular in Hancock County, officials say.
But, as it other areas, dispatchers are still using the program to reach out to residents far more often than residents are using it to ask for help. Here’s the breakdown:
2015:
1,863 texts from 911
72 texts to 911
2016:
2,342 texts from 911
161 texts to 911
2017:
1,941 texts from 911
114 texts to 911
2018:
1,293 texts from 911
61 texts to 911
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