OTTAWA and GATINEAU – Within a year, Canadians with hearing or speech impairments will be able to communicate with 911 call centres via text message says the CRTC. Telephone and wireless companies must upgrade their networks to support the new feature by January 24, 2014.
The CRTC's decision follows a 2012 trial to assess the feasibility of rolling out such a feature on a national basis. The unique Canadian solution was developed by the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee (CISC) Emergency Services Working Group (ESWG), comprised of members from Emergency Services, telecommunications service providers, vendors and other stakeholders, including CWTA. The trial involved the participation of telecommunications companies, Canadians with hearing or speech impairments and 911 call centres in Vancouver, Toronto, Peel Region and Montreal.
"Services such as 911 are critical to the health and safety of all Canadians," said Jean-Pierre Blais, Chairman of the CRTC. "This initiative is a perfect example of how technology can be used to improve access to 911 services for Canadians with disabilities. I would like to thank those who participated in last year's trial. Its success convinced us that expanding the initiative across the country is not only possible, but also in the public interest."
The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) says it fully supports the decision to move forward with the implementation of text with 9-1-1 (T9-1-1) for the deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired (DHHSI) community.
“CWTA and its members applaud all parties involved for their dedication to improving safety for Canada’s DHHSI community,” said CWTA President & CEO Bernard Lord. “Wireless service providers are always looking for ways to improve accessibility for Canadian consumers, and we look forward to continuing our partnerships with community, government and other stakeholders in deploying this revolutionary safety tool.”
T9-1-1 provides 9-1-1 call centres with the ability to converse with a deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired person during an emergency, using text messaging. When a DHHSI person requires 9-1-1 services, they dial 9-1-1 on their cell phone. There is no need for them to speak, as the 9-1-1 call taker will receive an indicator that tells them to communicate with the caller via text messaging. The 9-1-1 call taker then initiates text messaging with the caller to address the emergency.
The service will only be available to those in the DHHSI community who register their cell phones for the service through their wireless carrier. T9-1-1 will only be available in areas that have received the necessary wireless and 9-1-1 network upgrades. Availability of the service will be announced at a later date and will only be available in those areas where municipal and provincial governments have made the necessary changes to their 911 call centres.
Voice calling remains the best and most effective way to communicate with 9-1-1 services for a person that is not deaf, hard of hearing or with speech impairment says the CWTA and CRTC. Text messages sent to the digits “911” do not reach emergency services. Text with 9-1-1 for the public at large will be deployed after next generation 9-1-1 systems have been implemented.
The CRTC says it will examine the future of Canadian 911 services in 2014-2015. To prepare for the review, it has appointed National Commissioner Timothy Denton to conduct research on current 911 services and the issues related to the provision of such services on next-generation telecommunications networks. His recommendations will be taken into consideration when the CRTC begins its review.
