Text to 911 service is getting use

WAILUKU -- When a protest blocked the road in Kanaio last month, along with phone calls, dispatchers received a text message reporting the incident to the Maui Police Department's 911 emergency center.

"We were able to go back and forth with the caller," said Davlynn Racadio, MPD supervising emergency services dispatcher.

In a three- to five-minute interaction, an emergency services dispatcher obtained as much information as possible before having police officers and other emergency workers respond, Racadio said.

She said that the text from Kanaio was among the first received after the official announcement Oct. 14 of the implementation of Text to 911 service statewide.

Hawaii became the seventh state in the nation with the service that allows cellphone users to send text messages to 911 in an emergency.

"It's a great feeling to know we accomplished this," Racadio said. "It's an even better feeling knowing we're making it right for a lot of people."

She said that text messages could be used by people who are deaf or hearing-impaired or who cannot speak or hear because of a medical emergency, injury or physical restraint.

Texting to 911 also may be a way of getting help in situations where it could be hazardous to make phone calls, such as incidents of domestic violence or an active shooter, Racadio said.

While a phone call is faster and preferred, Racadio said that a text message uses less bandwidth and may be able to get through better in areas of sporadic phone service. She cautioned that there's no guarantee a text message will be sent or received.

To use the service, a cellphone must be text-enabled with a data plan and have its location service turned on. No photos, videos or emojis can be sent. Text messages must be brief and easily understood with no abbreviations, providing the location of the emergency and a description of what's happening, Racadio said.

Messages are limited to 160 characters per text.

Depending on the cellphone service carrier, it takes 10 seconds or longer for a text message to reach 911, initiating a warbling tone that distinguishes a text message from a phone call.

After the text message is received, the sender receives a text reply saying, "Maui 9-1-1 Where is the location of your emergency?"

Racadio said that the texter's location is key. "We need you to help us find you," she said.

The text message remains with the same dispatcher, who can use programmed responses to text back questions such as "Are you able to call 9-1-1?" or "Does anyone need medical/fire?"

Other programmed text questions include, "Are there any weapons?" and "Can you get to a safe place?"

"These are all the things we need to generate a good response," Racadio said.

Another programmed text asks: "Are you texting & driving? Pull over."

Racadio said work has been underway for three or four years to implement Text to 911 in the state.

A "soft launch" of the service began in March, generating 255 text messages to 911 through Oct. 20. Most of the text messages were tests of the system from different locations by employees of MPD and other agencies to try to make sure the system was working properly, Racadio said.

She said there were five cases generated by text messages during the period, including calls about a male screaming on Front Street in Lahaina in the middle of the night and a domestic call from Kauaula Valley in West Maui.

With the service in place, work is continuing to educate organizations and the public on how to use it correctly, Racadio said.

"The biggest process is the educational process," she said.

* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.