Did you know you can text 999 in an emergency?

For many people, speaking on the phone can be an extremely stressful occasion.

For deaf and hard of hearing people, talking to someone on a telephone is something that’s avoided if possible. But what if it can’t be avoided? What if it’s an emergency?

Emergency text service

Not many people are aware of this, but you can text the emergency services.

The emergency SMS service lets deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired people in the UK send an SMS text message to the UK 999 service where it will be passed to the police, ambulance, fire rescue, or coastguard.

So if there’s any reason you can’t communicate verbally over the phone, you can send a text. This has the potential to save lives, yours or others.

All you have to do is register your phone beforehand to be able to send the text.

How to register your phone

It’s as easy as sending a text.

Simply text the word ‘Register’ to 999. Wait for the reply so you know you are registered. You will be asked to confirm that the message wasn’t a mistake and you would like to register the phone for emergency texts.

It really is that simple!

What should you say in an emergency text?

If you should ever need to send a text to the emergency services, there are three things to remember: Which, What, and where.

• Which emergency service do you need? Fire, Ambulance, police?
• What is the emergency? Someone in trouble? Is there a crime happening?
• Where is the emergency? Which road or street? A house number if possible?

If you have time and are not panicked, try to give as much information as you can, being as accurate as possible.

TapSOS

TapSOS is a smartphone app that allows people to contact emergency services without having to speak on the phone.

Its Founder, Becca Hume, graduated from Ulster University in 2015 with a Masters in Multidisciplinary Design and has completed British Sign Language Level 6.

Designed using icons, TapSOS allows the public to alert 999 non-verbally, meaning anyone who is unable to telephone due to physical, medical or situational barriers can do so safely.

A TapSOS user creates a profile, which is stored on their smartphone. This information is required by the Emergency Call Handler, who receives this information from TapSOS through tapping a series of visual icons, designed to help the TapSOS user in a stressful situation.

Additionally, the user creates a medical profile – again, stored securely on the users’ device, which can help First Responders gain valuable insight quickly.

The built-in GPS function will automatically locate the device, and if needed, allow the user to manually change the location for even greater accuracy.

The user will then answer a series of questions to allow the user to focus, reflect and react in a way that follows Emergency Services protocols.

TapSOS sends alerts straight to the United Kingdom’s 999 Emergency Call Handlers.

You can download TapSOS for Android by clicking here, or for IOS here.