May 15 marked the deadline for mobile carriers to be ready to allow consumers to text 9-1-1 for emergencies.

Government-owned 9-1-1 infrastructure must also be prepared to take SMS messages and be able to process them in a way that gives agencies the information necessary to act on the text message.

Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) or 9-1-1 agencies in the state of Washington are dependent on preparatory activities that are occurring at the state level to enhance the emergency services info net or the ESI Net. Wahkiakum County 911 received all 9-1-1 calls over this state-wide ESI Net.

Wahkiakum County 911 is currently working on equipment upgrades that will allow them to receive text messages in SW Washington once the state has upgraded the ESI Net to deliver that information.

Currently, people who send a text to 9-1-1 in an area that is not capable, will receive a bounce-back message from the carrier to inform the sender that the text message was not received by a 9-1-1 agency.

While texting is useful in certain situations, the preferred method of sharing information is a voice call because the agency can confirm the location of the call and gather information about the emergency more effectively and efficiently.

Of the 9000 agencies in the United States that provide 9-1-1 services, the list of locations where to text is currently in place: http://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/text-to-911-deployments.pdf.

May 15 was only a significant marker for the phone carrier side of the equation. More news will be forthcoming from the Wahkiakum 911 department as to when they will be ready to receive text messages.