Iltt..JI. The Goveming Voice for Woyne County Residents. Text-to-911 Technology Now Available to Western Wayne Communities

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1 Iltt..JI The Goveming Voice for Woyne County Residents April IS Text-to-911 Technology Now Available to Western Wayne Communities The Conference of Western Wayne announces that new Text-to-911 service is now available to its communities as part of its "Call if you can, text if you can't" public safety message. PLYMOUTH - Westland Mayor Bill Wild, chair of the Conference of Western Wayne (CWW), and CWW law enforcement officials announced today the availability of text-to 911 emergency services as part of CWW's "Call if you can, text if you can't" public safety program. Under state law, the CWW coordinates one of four 911 Service Districts within Wayne County. With advancements in mobile phone technology leading to a large number of residents using SMS text messaging for various communications, the elected leaders and law enforcement officials of the 18 CWW communities began working in 2015 to test and implement new technology empowering citizens positioned in CWW communities, including Detroit-Wayne County Metropolitan Airport, to send SMS text messages to local 911 emergency centers when seeking help or to report emergencies when voice calling is not an option. "The Canton Public Safety Department is eager to be a part of this new E/911 initiative, providing an alternate method of contact for citizens to request police, fire and emergency medical services. Our staff has been trained and is ready to start accepting requests for service via text message," said Todd L. Mutchler, Director of Canton Public Safety. Text-to-911 is an important new service that offers citizens who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, a new way to contact emergency services. Other examples of a citizen needing text-to-911 service could include domestic violence, kidnapping and other situations where victims need a way to call for help without tipping off a criminal during the commission of a crime. In focusing on the regional aspect of this project, Mayor Wild said, "'Our 18 communities did something you don't hear much about these days-we worked together to benefit everyone. We work tirelessly to grow Western Wayne County and provide our citizens with the best services possible. And as a region we chose to 1

2 combine our efforts to bring this new access to 911 to our 700,000 residents, 100,000 businesses and all those who travel through and work in our communities every day. Public safety is the first priority of local government and the CWW prides itself on protecting our citizens." How does it work? Anyone who is within the borders of the 18 CWW communities can use the service, as long as they have a texting plan with one of the four major carriers: AT&T, Sprint, T Mobile or Verizon. The service is activated by sending a SMS text on a mobile phone to the number "911". That text message will be routed to the nearest CWW 911 dispatch center for action. At the current time, the rest of Wayne County does not have text-to-911 service, although some neighboring counties such as Oakland and Macomb have fully implemented text-to-911. If the texter is in an area that does not support text-to-911, they will receive a "bounce-back" message informing them 911 is not available via text. "Call if you can, text if you can't" While the new technology is an exciting advancement in public safety services provided by CWW communities, officials said that citizens should "Call if you can. text if you can't" when contacting 911. CWW officials emphasized that text-to-911 is a compliment to calling 911, not a replacement, because voice calls to 911 are still the most efficient way to communicate with public safety officials in an emergency situation. Background CWW leaders began researching the best practices for implementing text-to-911 technology after exchanging policy ideas with law enforcement and 911 officials in Oakland County who had implemented their text-to-911 program in Throughout 2015 and 2016,911 officials in the 18 CWW communities then worked closely with each other and major cell phone carriers such as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon to implement and test its own system. Western Wayne County now joins both Oakland and Macomb counties in implementing text-to-911. The technology is under various states of development in other counties across Michigan. More information can be found on the State of Michigan 911 Committee website at The National Organization on Disability (2007) reports that there are an estimated 54 million individuals with a disability in the United States, with more than 37 million 2

3 individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and could benefit from text-to-911. Additionally, there may be circumstances, such as domestic violence or in-progress incidents in which a voice call is not practical or is dangerous to make, further making text-to-911 useful. AboutCWW The Conference of Western Wayne (CWW) is a group of 18 Western Wayne County communities that coordinates services for its 700,000 residents and a 360 square mile region. CWW also represents its 700,000 residents by meeting monthly to discuss issues such as legislation, transportation, public safety, substance abuse prevention, community and economic development, employment and the environmental health of the region. Communities include the Cities of Belleville, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Garden City, Inkster, Livonia, Northville, Plymouth, Romulus, Wayne and Westland, and the Townships of Canton, Huron, Northville, Plymouth, Redford, Sumpter and Van Buren. Contact: Jordyn Sellek, CWW Executive Director and 911 Coordinator (734) or js@c-w-w.org CAll IF YOU CAJI TUlwlVUurr ### 3

4 9 1 1 III":BI CAlUlOUW luifillun The Governing Voice for 700,000 Wayne County Residents CAllf IOU W lui f '"un What is text-to-911? Questions, Answers and Tips About Text-to-911 Call If You Can, Text If You Can't Text-to-911 refers to the ability to send text messages to local 911 call centers during an emergency. Despite growing reliance on text messaging by millions of consumers, almost all call centers today cannot receive text messages; they can only receive voice calls, about two-thirds of which are from wireless phones. At this time, text-to-911 can only receive SMS, or Short Message Service, texts. However, as we continue to move forward with new technology, in a Next Generation 911 environment, consumers will eventually be able to make voice, text, or video "calls" from any communications device via Internet Protocol-based networks. What are the benefits of text-to-911? There will be many significant benefits to consumers, especially in cases when the caller cannot communicate verbally. For example, text-to-911 will be very useful to the approximately 34 million Americans who are hard of hearing, deaf, or speech-impaired. Text-to could also help in situations when a crime is in process; the caller is facing domestic abuse; the caller is injured and cannot speak; or other scenarios. What is important for Wayne County residents to understand about text-to-911? Anyone who is within the borders of the 18 CWW communities can use the service, as long as they have a texting plan with one of the four major carriers: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon. The service is activated by sending a SMS text on a mobile phone to the number "911". That text message will be routed to the nearest CWW 911 dispatch center for action. At the current time, the rest of Wayne County does not have text-to-911 service, although some neighboring counties such as Oakland and Macomb have fully implemented text-to-911. If the texter is in an area that does not support text-to-911, they will receive a "bounce-back" message informing them 911 is not available via text:

5 What is the cost to the communities for this service? Because of cooperation with service providers such as Verizon Wireless and technology already in place, text-to-911 will not cost any more to operate than the existing service. There is no cost for Western Wayne County to incur at this time. How does it work? Wireless carriers will provide text-to-911 services in the format requested by local 911 call centers. Western Wayne County is using the GEM911 Web based portal. The carriers have provisioned the service based on the call centers' requests. A text-to-911 conversation for the 911 dispatcher will look similar to this:, 2lJ6.!>M-2038 (11 My Active sessions ~~SOO' "1 2OEI-~ Other Active Sessk>ns someone broke into my house. a window broke and i hear whispering downs1alrs l-z06<6ss. 6UI ~ This Is 911. can you confirm your address as 1939 nth Sf.?,...,... yes thai is the correct address. J am upstairs in my bedroom '';f cer.,.. E!Mf9I'ICJ "'l~ ~ SW., Stay calm. An officer is nearby. Help is on the way. c.m3i Emetv-Y,-, I I -M, Pt... S... NP...' D.,! l...' p., , , I... --, - 1 I _.~ - - '"" '...~ 1 ~~1')J l Mar 51021:09 PST l ' , -I, 135 S, '" loeal/ol'l Found What are the major challenges to making text to-911 work? The widespread availability of text-to-911 will depend not only on telecommunications carriers but also on the ability of more than 6, centers to implement new systems and training. A key challenge facing 911 call centers is selecting the text-to-911 platform that works best in their individual centers, out of more than a dozen solutions available today. Emergency call centers and authorities need to conduct extensive research and testing - including input from front-line call takers -- to select the option that best fits their needs.

6 Why is text to-911 needed now? Simply put, text messaging is one of the primary ways people communicate today, especially younger people and members of the hearing and speech disabilities community. According to Forrester Research, an estimated 6 billion SMS messages are sent every day in the United States, or more than 2.2 trillion per year. The 911 community is constantly striving to meet the evolving needs of the public, and right now that means implementing text-to-911 solutions. When will text to 911 be broadly available? Under a historic agreement reached in December 2012 between NENA, the "Big 4" wireless carriers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile), and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO), text-to-911 capabilities were in place on those four carriers' networks by May However, this does not mean that tex1-to-911 service was available to all consumers by 2014; the actual availability hinges on the deployment of new systems and training at more than 6, centers across America. Even when text-to-911 becomes widely available, the best way to contact 911 will continue to be via voice communications whenever possible. How to text in an emergency: Enter the numbers "911" in the "To" field; The first text message to 911 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. Tex1 in simple words - do not use abbreviations. Keep tex1 messages brief and concise. Below are a few things to know if you need to text to-911: Tex1location information is not equal to current location technology. Be prepared to give your location. As with all tex1 messages, 911 messages can take longer to receive, can get out of order or may not be received. Tex1-to-911 is not available if you are roaming. A tex1 or data plan is required to place a text-to-911. If tex1ing to 911 is not available in your area, or is temporarily unavailable, you will receive a message indicating that texting 911 is not available and to contact 911 by other means. Photos and videos cannot be sent to at this time. Tex1-to-911 cannot include more than one person. Do not send your emergency text to anyone other than 911. ###

7 Status of Text-to-911 in Michigan.~ ~ ~ ~. CII./lIIWOIIO Currently accepting texts-to-911 Actively Working to implement _n:c' wt.xf'0h0' ~.~ ~ osaola' ClNI Intend to start planning soon _Do not plan to, unless mandated DNo Response r---ii L...-I",m"", iol(costa a.omu..oo.- 10,.l...J'I-..., i ~..., ~~ on...". ~ OM CUfTCIO 1_ASSf:fl -- I Il.ClAlR ~ LUlIn la1qm ~ 1,MNO.ST'l)N..,,- ~,...- ~.- ".IO~. IJIWoIOl Last updated: December 9, 2015

8 CWW Text-to-911 Region* rthvi Ie Northville Townshi Uvonia Canton Township '4n Buren Township Xf Bellevile Sumpter Township Romulus Huron Township *Also includes the Wayne County Airport Authority