Text-to-911 service now statewide

Washington Emergency Management Division recently rolled out Text-to-911 services statewide, after offering them in Whatcom County since 2021.

The service allows people who are deaf, have auditory or speech differences, or are in unsafe situations, to send a text to “911” from their standard messaging app to request emergency services.

Calling 911 remains the fastest way to dispatch help to a scene, according to an Emergency Management Division website.

The nationwide standard for deciding how to contact emergency services is, “Call if you can, text if you can’t,” according to the Emergency Management Division.

Those using Text-to-911 services should relay their specific location and the type of emergency service needed in the first message. The sender should stay near their phone to wait for follow-up messages.

The Emergency Management Division recommends turning the phone’s ringer and volume off in situations where the sender needs to remain silent.

Beginning in winter, the service will transition from the SMS messaging model, where a text is received after the texter hits send, to real-time-text technology, which allows dispatchers to receive the message character-by-character as it is typed out.

As of now, Text-to-911 can send and receive messages with text. Photos, videos and emoji are not transmittable. Text messages to 911 must be in English as translation is not available. The website also noted group messages including the 911 line will not be sent through to a dispatcher.

The service, which began June 30, was paid for with funds from an existing phone service fee.