October 19, 2013

We’ve spent the summer months visiting almost 100 PSAPs across the State of Indiana determining the capability of implementing SMS Text-to-9-1-1 and collecting information for a Next Generation 9-1-1 Baseline Assessment report for the Statewide 9-1-1 Board.

Needless to say these visits with 9-1-1 professionals in Indiana have only reinforced the fact that Public Safety folks are a resilient bunch, continuously doing more with less. The approach to SMS Text-to-9-1-1 is no different. The overwhelming response from those who will be on the receiving end of text messages of an emergency nature from the public is a resounding “Bring It!!”


There is a lot of information on the web about SMS Text-to-9-1-1 and an awful lot of speculation. The predominant delivery method is shaping up to be the Web browser method for most, with some Text to TTY implementations for those larger centers that need to integrate Text-to-9-1-1 into ACD type environments. There are pro’s and con’s with each, make sure you do your homework before you decide to go down a certain path. There is no “one size fits all” solution for SMS Text-to-9-1-1


Here are some useful materials for some additional background on SMS Text-to-9-1-1
 

• SMS Text-to-9-1-1 FAQ from NENA

• The Text-to-9-1-1 Checklist from NENA

We are doing some additional project work on the SMS Text-to-9-1-1 implementation process and will share those experiences and work products here as we can.