Texting 911 in an emergency in Tri-Cities area. What you need to know

A dozen people in Benton and Franklin counties reached 911 by text message since its public roll out less than a month ago.

That’s higher than normal, said Kim Lettrick, manager for the Southeast Communications Center in Richland. Most of the centers across Washington state only see a few people text to 911 each month.

Southeast Communication Center (SECOMM) began the new service with a soft launch in August and an official unveiling Sept. 11.

Text messages only make up a small portion of the more than 1,700 calls the center receives each day, but it’s a useful service for people who aren’t able to call, officials said.

The person could be hiding from an intruder, stuck in an area with poor cell reception or may be hard of hearing.

The Federal Communications Commission has encouraged dispatch centers to adopt the service and it started gaining traction nationally following the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., in 2016.

The dispatch center, which serves Benton and Franklin counties, started working on implementing the new service about a year ago, Lettrick told the Herald.

It came as part of a $335,000 project that also paid for other upgrades to the phone system.

“There are several components to successfully implementing this important resource and we appreciate all of our partner agencies, wireless carriers and SECOMM staff who have made it possible for our community,” Assistant City Manager Drew Florence said in a release.

When using the service, people are asked to type the location and what kind of emergency, and to keep the messages brief. They should also stay available for dispatchers to respond.

While it offers another avenue for people to communicate with the 911 service, Lettrick said texting is not what people should use in most cases.

“Non-verbal communication is limited and is slower,” she said. “We can obtain way more information that is valuable for us (over the phone.)“

Often dispatchers can get information faster by talking, because people will often start to tell a story when calling 911.

When talking to a person, a dispatcher can ask for critical specifics, including the location and type of emergency so they can start sending emergency responders.

Typing also takes longer than speaking.

This is why officials are asking people to call if they can, and text if they can’t.

“Every second counts. We want to make sure we’re sending resources to the right location the first time,” Lettrick said.