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NBC 10 I-Team: Rhode Island launches Text-to-911


 Text to 911 technology is now up and running inside Rhode Island’s E-911 center, more than two years after the state bought the equipment. (WJAR)
Text to 911 technology is now up and running inside Rhode Island’s E-911 center, more than two years after the state bought the equipment. (WJAR)
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Text to 911 technology is now up and running inside Rhode Island’s E-911 center, more than two years after the state bought the equipment.

Now, staffing levels are up, and state police said things inside the call center are changing for the better.

"We're in a much better place,” said Greg Scungio, acting director of E-911.

That’s because there are more people, with more training and equipment, than at this time last year.

As the NBC 10 I-Team first reported, the call center was down by at least 10 telecommunicators in early 2018, forcing others to work overtime in an already stressful job.

In January 2018, only 21 telecommunicators were working.

This week, 32 are working, with four more scheduled to start next month for a total of 36.

All of the telecommunicators received training on the new system for text messages.

"Everybody is cross-trained,” Scungio said. “So, everybody that works at 911 can take either a voice call, or a text call."

From 2014 to 2017, Rhode Island spent $678,687 on equipment, hardware and software that would enable people to text 911. But there wasn’t enough funding to hire and train the people needed to launch the program—until now.

“I think this is a good opportunity for 911 to be seen by people in a different light now,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Barry, acting superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, which oversees E-911.

When asked if the delays in funding were frustrating, Barry said he was focused on the future.

"Can't really look back. We're looking forward from today,” he said. “Today's a good day for us to launch this."

People who text 911 will get a pre-programmed response, asking about the type of emergency. Then, a telecommunicator will ask for the texter’s exact location.

But finding where a text is coming from is more difficult and time-consuming than locating a call, Scungio said.

"So, the message we're giving is, ‘Call if you can, text if you can't,’” he said.

For those who can’t talk on the phone, the ability to text 911 can be life-saving.

"I want to let you know that text to 911 is very important to the deaf and hard of hearing community in Rhode Island,” said Pamela Zellner, of the Rhode Island Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

The commission has pushed for texting technology for the past several years, noting that more than 200,000 people in Rhode Island suffer from hearing impairment.

Despite the improvements inside E-911, the bulk of the money Rhode Island consumers pay on cell phone and landline bills still goes to the General Fund, although the 911 fee was renamed last year. As the I-Team has reported, that means some $10 million collected for 911 and public safety is used for other purposes.

"Of course, any additional funding that we can receive is going to benefit the 911 telecommunicators center, and we believe can benefit the public,” Barry said. “But I'll leave that to the legislature and the politicians."

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