By EMS1 Staff
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash. — A 911 system put into place two years ago is not being used the way it was intended, according to officials.
Herald Net reported that the texting service in Snohomish County was designed for emergencies where people cannot speak on the phone due to danger of someone overhearing. However, officials said almost 94 percent of emergencies reported through the service last year could have been communicated over the phone.
Dispatchers say it is easier for them to process a call than a text.
Between September 2016 and June 2017, 990 texts through the service have been made. Dispatch centers deemed almost 930 of them as inappropriate for the service.
“Call if you can; text if you can’t,” dispatch executive director Kurt Mills said.