Fife Police 999 text number helps deaf family
This is fantastic. Aimed at Fife residents who are Deaf or who suffer hearing/speech impariments, the Fife Police introduced the 999 text service in April this year.
By default, qualifying users were sent out a registration form (I imagine registration was introduced to prevent abuse) to activate the service.
Anyway, the service got its first real-life use recently — as this BBC news story describes:
A deaf couple have become the first to use a pioneering scheme to contact the emergency services by text message. Robert Walker used the service when his wife, Michelle Mitchell, thought she was having a heart attack.
An ambulance arrived within 10 minutes at the profoundly deaf couple’s home in Kirkcaldy, Fife.
Absolutely 100% tip top brilliant use of the medium. I’m sure this must give an additional degree of comfort to its target audience. KUDOS to Fife Police. I hope this service is introduced nationwide soon.
Oh, and it was a false alarm — Ms Mitchell is, I understand, quite well. Good good. Always better to make the call or text just in case.
(Thanks Jeremy!)
