THUNDER BAY – CRIME – Thunder Bay Police Service and Emergency Services have moved forward to assist those hearing or speech impairments to have better access to emergency services.
Thunder Bay Police have announced the official launch of the Text with 911 (T9-1-1) Service on Monday, October 6th, 2014. T9-1-1 Service for the deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired (DHHSI) community in Canada will be available in Thunder Bay, and the outlying Municipalities who receive 911 service from Thunder Bay Police.
T9-1-1 Service allows members of the DHHSI community to call 9-1-1 during an emergency, and converse with a 9-1-1 operator using text messaging. Specialized software will allow the 9-1-1 operator to recognize the call as coming from a registered phone, associated with the DHHSI community, and text with the caller to be able to communicate.
It is important to note: Members of the DHHSI community in the area must register with their wireless service provider in order to access this service. When a DHHSI person requires 9-1-1 services, they can only access them via their registered cell phone.
DHHSI callers should only call 9-1-1 for emergencies.
In Ontario, this service is currently only available in the Region of Peel and in the Thunder Bay area. If a DHHSI person calls 9-1-1 outside of these areas, this service may not be available. For more information on availability in Canada and how to register for this service, please reference the CWTA web page that tracks the roll out of T9-1-1.http://textwith911.ca/service-availability/
