Hello This is Tayler Mayer and I have with me an expert on 911 services. Working with various local governments and national organizations, he is knowledgable in 911 calling issues. Not only that, he is an advocate for providing effective 911 services to all deaf people. Allow me to introduce Richard Ray!
Hi! I’m Richard Ray. Today I will be discussing 911 services. There are three different types of 911 systems. They are:
- Basic 911
- e911
- NG911 (Next Generation 911)
The first one, basic 911, receives calls from phones and TTYs but the 911 call center will not have the ability to automatically pull up your information, such as your address from where you are calling.
Next, callers connecting to 911 call centers that support e911 will automatically send their information to the dispatcher. This caller information includes your address and phone number.
Finally, NG911 is the latest in 911 technology and is quite advanced. We use different pagers and videophones nowadays. Using NG911 means you can call 911 centers regardless of the device; might they be regular phones, TTYs, SMS (Short Message System), e-mail, pictures and video. Pictures and video can be sent to 911 call centers, upon which the dispatcher can better assess the emergency and send appropriate teams to provide help. Using NG911, you will be able to connect directly to 911 call centers using videophones, bypassing VRS providers.
Why are videophones beneficial in the deaf community? Of course it provides the ability to communicate in our natural language. After the dispatcher recognizes that a caller is deaf, a VRI (Video Remote Interpreter) is brought into the call to translate the three way conversation.
We need to encourage and educate the community to know what NG911 is about. I also encourage you to advocate and communicate with your state and local governments, asking them to support the NG911 project. This project isn’t just for the deaf, but for all emergency callers.
This means you can call at any time, from anywhere, and from any device.
Thank you!
Tayler: That’s quite advanced technology and I want this and I’m sure you do too. The VRS and IP Relay service industry needs to work together to agree on something and move forward to make their systems compatible with current 911 services. When the 911 service upgrades to the new technology, NG911, the VRS companies will be ready to provide smooth communication access to emergency services for all!
Sign the Petition! Your e-mail address is for validation purposes ONLY and will not be sold to or shared with anyone. Scout's honor!