Full Notification

Teton County Sheriff's Office Dispatch (which is our 9-1-1 center for Teton County) would like to relay the following important information regarding a new service available for reporting emergencies.  Please share this information widely with friends and family:

Text-to-911

Teton County first to launch Text-to-911 in the state of Wyoming

As of November 16, 2015, customers of the four nationwide wireless carriers, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile can send a text message to 911 from locations in Teton County for emergency help.  Thanks to these providers, a majority of wireless users in the county now have an alternative method to use in an emergency in the event that they cannot make a phone call.

Guidelines

·         Customers should use the texting option only when a voice call to 911 is not an option.  Making a voice call is still the most efficient way to get access to emergency services.

·         As with any communication to 911, the texting function should only be used for emergency situations.  PLEASE DO NOT “TEST” this function.

o    Emergency situations require a response from:

§  Law Enforcement

§  Fire Department

§  Emergency Medical Services

§  Search and Rescue

·         It is very important to provide the location of the event and the nature of the emergency in the first message.

o    The call taker will not be able to determine the cell phone location.

o    The call taker will need to convey the information from the texter to local first responders as quickly as possible.

·         Abbreviations and slang, (IDK, THX, 2day, BTW, for example), should never be used.

·         If you accidentally send a text to 911, be sure to follow it up with another text or voice call to let the call taker know it was an accident and that there is no emergency.

·         Texts to 911 have the same 160 character limit as other text messages.

·         Wireless customers must have mobile phones that are capable of sending text messages.

o    Refer to you plan for charges that may incur with texts made to 911

Limitations

·         Text messaging is considered a “best efforts” service and there is no guarantee a text message will be sent, delivered or received in a timely manner if at all.

·         Sending a text to 911 may take longer than a voice call because someone must enter the text, send it through the system and then the 911 call taker has to enter a text response and send it back.

o    Time is critical in a life-threatening emergency, and customers should be aware of this difference.

·         Customers must be in range of their service provider’s cell towers in Teton County.

o    If customers are outside or near the edge of the county when sending a text to 911, the message may not reach the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

o    If the text didn’t go through, you should receive a bounce-back message that states: Please make a voice call to 911.  There is no text service to 911 available at this time.

MISUSE OF 911

WSS § 6-5-212. Interference with Emergency Calls; interference with emergency reporting system. 

(b)  A person commits a misdemeanor if he knowingly calls a 911 emergency reporting system for a purpose other than to report a situation that he reasonably believes requires prompt service in order to preserve or protect human life or health or property.