Denver residents can now text 911, set up a profile with vital information for first responders coming to their aid, and sign up to receive emergency notifications through a new system proving more accurate than the city’s previous reverse-calling provider.
All three enhancements have been rolled out by emergency managers for the city in the past year.
“The object is simple: save time and save lives,” said Stephanie O’Malley, executive director of public safety for Denver.
across the country. While the primary target is the deaf or hard of hearing community, Mayor Michael Hancock used the Orlando, Fla., nightclub shooting as an example of a situation where people may need to text to keep from drawing attention to themselves in a dangerous situation. But anytime someone is able to call, officials recommend it first.
Even before announcing the ability to take text messages to 911, the city’s emergency call takers have been handling three to five text messages a day since the service started in March.
“For me it’s really no different than taking a call,” said call taker Ty Schade. “Location is everything.”
Asking the address or location of an emergency is one of the first questions Schade asks on the phone or through texts. But getting an address via text can be more important because the system can’t provide an automatic location like it often can with a phone call.
The text service did not add a cost to the city’s operations, and managers are not expecting to hire new staff to handle the texts. The service allowing residents to create a profile — such as health conditions or pets in a home — cost the city about $80,000 per year. The new mass notification system for emergencies cost about $91,000 — less than the city’s last emergency notification system, which cost more than $100,000 per year.
In one test for the new mass notifications — through Swift 911 — 93 percent of all calls were successfully delivered in less than 15 minutes. That’s an improvement from 2012, when in reaching residents — similar to other metro area agencies, many of which .
But Denver’s system has only about 390,000 land-line numbers listed and about 30 cell numbers that were registered. Officials on Thursday were urging residents to register their cellphones.
“We know we’re missing some people,” said Ernest Franssen, operations manager for police dispatch and leader of the notifications project.
There are multiple ways to sign up, but if residents download a mobile application and turn on location settings on their phone, they can receive a notification if they’re in the area of danger, even if that’s not their registered address.
Officials say the need for the technology changes has been made clear in part by the fact that more than 90 percent of calls to 911 are made from a cellphone.
“Many of our residents communicate via mobile phone or text,” O’Malley said in a statement. “Making it imperative that they sign up for this service and get the information they need to keep themselves, and those they care for safe.”
- To learn more, register your cellphone for alerts or to set up a profile, .
has a new toolbox for enhanced emergency response! Learn more about 911Now at …
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice)
