Birmingham Rolls out 9-1-1 Texting

911textBirminghham is one of the first cities in the state to offer text to 9-1-1. This new technology will allow people to text during an emergency. It’s meant to benefit the speech and hearing impaired, but Councilor Steven Hoyt says there are many situations where texting will replace traditional emergency calls. Although it’s federally mandated under the Americans with Disabilities Act, less than 20 percent of 9-1-1 call centers in the U.S. utilize this feature. Birmingham is also offering a reverse 9-1-1 notification system which sends out emergency messages via email, text and voice calls. Birmingham officials hope the success of the new system pushes other municipalities in the county and state to move forward with their own text to 9-1-1 plans. For more information go to http://www.birminghamalcitycouncil.org.