For as long as 15 minutes on Sept. 28, parts of Yavapai County — including the Verde Valley — were without 911 service.
While investigators are looking into the cause of the outage, which impacted several other states for longer periods of time, Yavapai County and other law enforcement agencies have implemented a new program that will ensure that even if 911 goes out, those seeking assistance in an emergency will still be able to do so.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and law enforcement partners throughout Yavapai County announced that “Text-to-9-1-1” service is now available countywide. Partnering agencies include police departments in Clarkdale, Jerome, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Cottonwood, Sedona, Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe, Yavapai-Apache Nation and Yavapai College, the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office and Prescott National Forest law enforcement.
This new technology means all 911 Public Safety Dispatch Centers in Yavapai County, which includes the call center in Cottonwood, are equipped to receive and respond to mobile phone Text-to-9-1-1 messages from the community. These texts will be routed to the appropriate 911 center, based on jurisdiction, when sent within the county.
According to county officials, this is something that has been in the works for a while.
“This has been a project both Yavapai and Coconino counties have been working on to bring to 911 dispatch centers,” Lt. Stephanie Foley, of the Sedona Police Department, said. “Coconino County is still working on getting the program set up and in place.”
According to a county press release, individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, or those in a situation where it is too dangerous to dial 911, will have another option to call for help in an emergency with Text-to-9-1-1.
“The benefits to our citizens are significant, especially in cases when the caller cannot communicate verbally. Examples include not only the hard of hearing, but also when a crime is in progress, the caller is facing domestic abuse, the caller is injured and cannot speak, or other similar scenarios,” the release stated.
Callers are encouraged to always call 911 instead of texting 911 if they can, but if they are unable to call, here is how Text-to-9-1-1 works:
• Enter the numbers “911” in the “To” field.
• The first text message to 9-1-1 should be brief and contain the location of the emergency and type of help needed.
• Push the “Send” button.
• Be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from the 911 call taker.
• Text in simple words — do not use abbreviations — and keep message brief.
The following guidelines are provided regarding Text-to-9-1-1. If you use a wireless phone or other type of mobile device, make sure to do the following in an emergency:
• If you can, always contact 9-1-1 by making a voice call, “Call if you can — text if you can’t.”
• If you are deaf and hard of hearing and Text-to-9-1- 1 is not available, use a TTY or telecommunications relay service, if available.
• If you text 911 and text is not available at that time or in your area, you will receive a bounce back message advising “text is not available please make a voice call to 911.”
• Location accuracy varies by carrier and should not be relied upon. Be prepared to give your location.
• Text-to-9-1-1 service will not be available if the wireless carrier cannot ascertain a location of the device sending the message.
• Text-to-9-1-1 is not available if you are roaming.
• A text or data plan is required to place a text to 911.
• Photos and videos cannot be sent to 911. They cannot be received at the 911 center currently.
• Texts must be in English only. There currently is no language interpretation for text available. This is still in development.
“We’re excited to partner with the state of Arizona, technology providers and the call centers in the Verde Valley to offer this service in the name of public safety,” SPD Chief Charles Husted said. “Texting has become such a ubiquitous method of communication that we feel it’s important to be able to serve citizens in this capacity.”
