911 SMS Texts to PSAP Category: Information Technology

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The 911 Short Message Service (SMS) is a text messaging service component of most telephone services. The Public-Safety Answering Point (PSAP), is a call center responsible for answering calls to an emergency telephone number for police, firefighting, and ambulance services. In a joint agreement with the Association of Public Safety Communications (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have voluntarily committed to provide text-to-911 services in all areas served by their networks where a 911 call center is prepared to receive texts. The PSAP Text-to-911 Readiness and Certification Registry lists PSAPs that are ready to receive text-to-911 messages and provides notice to Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) providers and other providers of interconnected text messaging services of the PSAP’s notice date of readiness. Macomb County’s goal was to comply with the mandate and to become ready to receive the text-to-911 messages from the public.