Don't text 911: B.C. Mounties

CBC News Sunday, September 19, 2010

RCMP in British Columbia are warning people not to text message 911 in emergencies. Sandy Vogstad, with the RCMP's communication centre, said the province's 911 system can't deliver text messages. "It is the system in general that there is no methodology available technically to push that text through the whole system," Vogstad said. People who do send a text to 911 can get a false sense of security that their message made it through and help is on the way, when it's not, Vogstad said. She is urging people — especially young people — not to text during an emergency. It has taken nearly 30 years to get North America's 911 system to where it is today, said Jodie Robertson with the 911 provider E-Comm. But with technology constantly changing, the system can't keep up.

"Wherever you are in North America, if you dial 911 the telephone system is going to direct your call to the closest 911 centre to you," she said. "There is not a universal text number for 911 so if you are to text it's not going to go anywhere." Robertson said the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is looking into providing some sort of an emergency texting service for the hearing and speech impaired. However, she stressed, even a trial system is a long way away. Until then, she said, sending a text is a waste of time. It certainly takes much longer to text a message then to actually speak it," Robertson said. "And 911 call-takers are trained to gather all kinds of information from callers. They are the eyes and ears of the 911 system while the emergency is going on."