Texting During An Emergency - MTS Systems Evolve User Manual

• Indicate the emergency that you are calling about and the
emergency services required
• Wait for the operator to tell you it is okay to hang up
• Leave your phone on so that the operator can call you back
Please note: Not all local governments in Canada operate 9-1-1
systems. Wireless carriers will try to route 9-1-1 calls to an
appropriate call-taking agency (the local police department, for
example) in areas where no 9-1-1 service exists. However, if you
routinely use your mobile phone in areas where a 9-1-1 system does
not exist, you should know the phone numbers for local police, fire
and ambulance services.
To ensure that you do not accidentally call 9-1-1, please do not
program 9-1-1 into your phone.

Texting During an Emergency

Most mobile phones can send text messages, but remember that
you cannot send text messages to 9-1-1.
During a large-scale emergency, such as a natural disaster, voice
networks can become congested or overloaded with an influx of
mobile phone voice calls. This can result in people not being able
to speak with those they want to contact, such as friends or loved
ones. In some rare instances, congestion on the voice network can
also hinder communications among emergency service personnel.
Text messages, however, use less network capacity than normal
mobile phone voice calls and may be more reliable for brief
communication with friends or loved ones during emergencies. So,
even if a network is congested with voice calls, a text message to a
friend or loved one may have a higher likelihood of getting through
sooner than a voice call. And equally as important, by texting
during an emergency, you are freeing up the voice lines for
emergency officials to use.