County Executive Matt Meyer A/Director of Public Safety Michael Hojnicki Presentation to County Council March 13, 2018 DELAWARE TEXT TO 911 CALL 911 IF YOU CAN TEXT 911 IF YOU CANT
County Executive Matt Meyer
A/Director of Public Safety Michael Hojnicki
Presentation to County Council
March 13, 2018
DELAWARE TEXT TO 911
CALL 911 IF YOU CAN
TEXT 911 IF YOU CANT
• State of Delaware handled 854,280 total 911 calls.
• New Castle County 911 Center handled 374,003 911 calls.
• New Castle County 911 Center handled 283,038 911 calls via a cellular device.
• New Castle County 911 processed an additional 101,648 non-emergency calls.
• New Castle County 911 received 32,169 calls for neighboring 911 Centers.
2017 CALL STATISTICS
• What is Text-to-911?• Text-to-911 is the ability to send a text message to 911 from
your mobile phone.
• Text-to-911 is not available everywhere and it’s not always available when roaming.
• If Text-to-911 is not available you should receive a return message indicating this and instructions on how to call 911.
• If you do not receive a text response from 911, you should contact us by phone.
TEXT-TO-911
• Who Should Text 911?• An individual who is deaf, hard of hearing, or has a speech
disability.
• Someone who is in a situation where it is not safe to place a voice call to 911.
• Someone who is experiencing a medical emergency that renders them incapable of speech.
TEXT-TO-911
• How do I text 911?• Enter the numbers 911 in the “To” or “Recipient” field.
• The first text to 911 should be short; include the location of the emergency; and ask for police, fire or ambulance.
• Answer all questions and follow instructions from the 911 call operator.
• Text in simple words – no abbreviations, emoji's or slang.
• Keep all text messages short.
• Most importantly do not text and drive.
TEXT-TO-911
• Why is calling 911 the best option?• Voice calls are real-time communication, and Text-to-911 is
not. As with all text messages, messages to 911 may take longer to receive and process.
• Photos and videos cannot be sent at this time.
• Text-to-911 cannot include more than one person
• Text GPS location information is not equal to current wireless-location technology.
TEXT-TO-911