County adds texting to 9-1-1 connection

Wahkiakum is now one of nine counties in the state of Washington that can accept text messages to 911 in an emergency.

Currently, only AT&T, US Cellular and T-Mobile customers can use the service in this county.

The new technology will make emergency services more accessible for people who have speech or hearing disabilities. It will also provide an option to people who find themselves in situations, like home invasions or abusive partners, where speaking may not be in their best interests.

"We went live about two weeks ago," Raedyn Grasseth, a 911 operator for the Wahkiakum County Sheriff's Office said on Tuesday. "Columbia County, Clatsop County, Multnomah County and Pacific County are up and running with this service, but Cowlitz is not."

Depending on where you call from and what cell service you have, your call could go to any of those counties. The counties transfer the calls as necessary, which is why Grasseth emphasized the importance of knowing your location.

"If we get a text message, we are going to ask if they can call because realistically it's going to be easier and we'll get a lot more information back and forth if we can talk with them," Grasseth said. "But this is for people that can't speak, the deaf and hard of hearing that can't communicate via voice or people that are hiding, for whatever reason they aren't able to make a voice call."

"Or their service level is so low that they can't get a voice call out but they could get a text out," Joannie Kuhlmeyer, another 911 operator added.

There are a lot of areas like that in the county,

according to both of the operators.

Still, as Grasseth was quick to point out, if you are doing CPR, text messaging is not going to work.

If the service isn't available to a customer because of their location or their cell provider, the caller will receive a bounce back message asking them to make a voice call.

Regardless, 911 will be notified of the call and will have a record of the phone number.

"There are a lot of unknowns," Grasseth said. "This is so new. It's going to be exciting to see how it works out."

According to the press release from the Wahkiakum County Sheriff's Office, the first message sent to 911 should contain the location of the emergency and the kind of responders needed, whether it is police, fire, or medical. Dispatchers ask that you use full words and be as brief as possible. They also ask that callers stay with their phones in order to answer questions or follow directions.

So far, it is not possible to send photos or video.

For updates and details, visit the Wahkiakum County Sheriff's Office page on Facebook or go to http://mil.wa.gov/e911.