Teenagers and 9-1-1
You’re the future of the America, the technology generation, the ones will all the gadgets. You know best that tech changes quickly and with 9-1-1 evolving in a digital world, that means there’s some misinformation out there that you teenagers might not know about.
We usually find that people make a lot of assumptions about 9-1-1. They think call centers can find you the same way rideshares or door delivery apps can (they can’t), they’ve never heard of text-to-9-1-1, or they didn’t know you can still call 9-1-1 on a device that doesn’t have a data plan (that’s right; dig up those old iPhone 5s! Oh wait, you were children when those came out).
We created this 9-1-1 teen resource page to educate on some of the more common misconceptions the younger generations have about 9-1-1. But don’t think we don’t appreciate you! Teens are absolutely our inspiration for some of the newest innovations we’re working on here at NCT9-1-1. Don’t believe us? Check out this message from our director Christy Williams.
Cellphones and 9-1-1
We know that the youths just call them “phones” these days, but in the 9-1-1 industry we still have to separate wireless and wireline calls. That means that you should know the ins and outs of how contacting 9-1-1 on a cell phone works.
Text-to-9-1-1
We were the first 9-1-1 authority in Texas to launch text-to-9-1-1, and since then we’ve seen it launch across the state. Though we’ve had it since 2013, we’re always surprised by the number of people who don’t realize it exists. Especially when they’re in the younger crowd.
Why did we launch it?
Text-to-9-1-1 was a controversial idea in the emergency number industry when it was first introduced. Fear of an influx of text messages from citizens or a lack of resources leaving text messages unanswered caused a lot of hesitation and fear. NCT9-1-1 saw that text would continue to become more and more popular, and we try to meet public expectations when we can. So, we adopted text-to-9-1-1 and promoted it across our region with a simple tagline: “Call if you can, text if you can’t.”
Should you text 9-1-1?
We know the teenagers prefer to message or text over calling. If we’re being honest, we’re right there with you. But it’s not always a good idea to text 9-1-1 if you are able to call. Why is that?
Background Noise
When dialing 9-1-1, telecommunicators are trained to listen to background noise and observe through listening. Many call takers have saved lives by identifying a situation that the caller couldn’t speak freely about. This opportunity is lost through a text message.
Immediate Replies
Waiting patiently for someone to text you back isn’t easy in a normal situation, but it’s definitely not easy during an emergency. Plus, if you stop texting in the middle of your emergency, the call taker isn’t able to help you. If you stop talking in the middle of a call, they still may be able to pick up on the background noise.
Tone of Voice
Ever say one thing but mean something completely different? Your tone says a lot more than your words, and call takers pick up on that. You may say you’re fine, but they have been trained on certain cues that may imply otherwise. If you’re texting them, they may not be able to pick up on those subtle differences.
Learn more about when you should text 9-1-1.
New 9-1-1 Tools for Wireless Callers
We’re still listening to what the public wants from 9-1-1, and some new tools for wireless callers recently launched.
9-1-1 Chat
9-1-1 Chat allows you to chat to the 9-1-1 call taker over text and can be translated to over 70 languages. How is it different than text-to-9-1-1? With a text, you initiate the conversation. With 9-1-1 Chat, you make a regular voice call first and then the 9-1-1 call taker initiates the 9-1-1 Chat.
Enhanced Location
If you call 9-1-1 on a cell phone right now, the call taker will most likely receive your approximate location within 300 meters. That’s 3 football fields. With tools like Enhanced Location, the call taker can text you a link that, once clicked, will send your more specific location to them. It also includes a What3Words identifier, which is an app that divides the world into 3 meter squares and assigns 3 words to each. This means the call taker can identify your location by entering those three words into the What3Words website.
Smartwatches and 9-1-1
These days, a smartwatch is a have-to-have object. That means they are being used more and more frequently as emergency devices. It’s important to know the limitations of your smartwatch since they don’t all have the same features. If you can dial out on your smartwatch without connecting to Bluetooth, your smartwatch can dial 9-1-1.
There’s been a huge increase in false 9-1-1 calls from smartwatches, which takes call takers away from emergencies. Make sure you know how your smartwatch works so you can avoid contributing to this problem.
There are a few other digital tools that reach 9-1-1. Here are some of the ones you can trust, and some you should probably avoid.
Apps and 9-1-1
We can’t really say that emergency apps are a friend of the 9-1-1 industry. These developers mean well, but sometimes they just miss the mark. We warn our public, especially the younger ones, to be wary of the claims some of these apps make. Language we think you should specifically watch for include:
Connects Directly to 9-1-1 and/or a First Responders!
The big question you should ask yourself with that one is: How? How do they connect their app to 9-1-1? Call routing in this industry is complicated, and connecting directly to a 9-1-1 call center means the app would have to jump through a lot of hoops.
We’re a certified public safety app!
Certified by who? There are two major organizations out there who have the authority and experience to create a certification process for an emergency app. Neither of them have developed this yet. Is the industry looking into this? Absolutely. Will we have one soon? We highly doubt it.
You can stream video straight to 9-1-1!
Hey, we love that idea too. But it’s not as simple as you think. The 9-1-1 call center needs to be on an IP-based system to allow this to happen (hint: very few of them are). There are vendors out there working on developing this, and there are some that currently send links to your device that allow you to stream to 9-1-1. But that doesn’t require an app.
If you want more information about apps and 9-1-1, visit this page.
But what about apps you can trust? Don’t worry, we made you an easy guide to identify what public safety apps you should have on your phone.
