County Update
With Santa Clara County
Supervisor Mike Wasserman
Supervisor Mike Wasserman was elected to the Santa Clara
County Board of Supervisors in 2010, and re-elected in 2014 and
2018. He represents District 1, which includes Gilroy, San Martin,
Morgan Hill, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and portions
of San Jose (supervisorwasserman.org).
Texting to 9-1-1 Now Available in Santa Clara County
—
I am pleased to announce the launch of 9-1-1 texting services throughout Santa Clara County.
This new option will help those who are deaf, hard of hearing, speech impaired, or anyone
who feels unsafe speaking on the phone. The County operates a consolidated (law, fi re and
medical) emergency communications center staffed by 130 employees. This includes
80 dispatchers who answer approximately 546,750 calls per year, 45,562 calls per month,
1,497 calls a day (491 of them considered urgent or emergency calls), and 62 calls per hour.
—
Text to 9-1-1 is intended
primarily for use in three
emergency scenarios
How do you text 9-1-1?
• Enter the numbers “911” in the “To” or
“Recipient” fi eld;
• The fi rst text to 9-1-1 should be short and include
the address and the location of the emergency.
Ask for police, fi re or ambulance;
1. For persons who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or
have a speech disability; • Push the “Send” button;
2. For persons in a situation where it is unsafe to
place a voice call to 9-1-1; or • Answer questions and follow instructions from the
9-1-1 dispatcher;
3. For persons experiencing a medical emergency
that has rendered them incapable of speaking. • Text in simple words – no abbreviations or slang;
and
• Remember to keep text messages short.
At the County 9-1-1 Communications Department, emergency calls are received through an automated call distribution
system that sends calls to the next available dispatcher.
Dialing 9-1-1 in an emergency is still the preferred way to request help, and the public is reminded to: “Call if you can;
text if you can’t.”
Texting is not always ideal. It takes longer than a voice call and does not provide the location of the texter.
While the text to 9-1-1 function is available only in English, interpreters are available to provide assistance.
While my hope is that
TODAY readers will never need this new service, I am committed to making the system
work better for those who are experiencing an emergency.
For more information on Text to 9-1-1, visit sccgov.org/textto911.
gmh
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
WINTER 2020
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