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I've just watched this;
It's a bit of a long winded way of saying that if you can't get through with a voice call, you can text the emergency services.
The important point is that you need to register first.
The guy describes it as if it's something that everyone should do, especially if they are likely to need the emergency services in an area with poor mobile reception. So that's us on mountain bikes then.
However, http://www.emergencysms.org.uk says;
Q. Do I have to be deaf to register?
A. No, the service is for people who cannot make voice calls because they have a hearing loss or a speech impairment.
...which suggests it's not really intended for us.
So, should I register because I might need it one day, or should I not, because I'm not what the system was designed for and I'll just clog it up for people who really do need it ?
http://www.mcofs.org.uk/emergency-procedures-card.asp
The service will now assist those needing emergency assistance in the hills when mobile reception is poor and there is not enough signal to make a voice call. The benefit is that a text message can be composed and sent in a single operation. You should specify 'Police-Mountain Rescue' when sending the text, and include information about your location, nature of the incident and those involved.
Baby Robin
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/emergency-mobile-phone-number-do-you-know-about-112
In his defense I didn't get far enough through the video to see the text bit, on account of the slightly drawn out nature and my short attention span.
Thanks!
The answer is definitely YES
I missed that thread at the time. It doesn't answer my question though.
If the emergency text system was set up to help people with speech or hearing difficulties, however many people that might be in the UK, will it be overloaded by millions of mountain bikers, hill walkers and mountaineers registering ?
Should we all register, or should we leave it for those it was originally intended for ?
I reckon the few thousand that will register on it then it will cope. As to what use it is to those that can make a voice call is debatable.
The answer to your question " [i]should I register[/i] " is still YES
The [b]explanation[/b]:
Yes, the service was originally set up for the hearing-impaired. However, it was soon realised that it could also benefit us outdoor types. A couple of years ago (Easter 2011?) they actively promoted it in the media and [b]encouraged[/b] us to register
[quote=MidlandTrailquestsGraham ]I missed that thread at the time. It doesn't answer my question though.
If the emergency text system was set up to help people with speech or hearing difficulties, however many people that might be in the UK, will it be overloaded by millions of mountain bikers, hill walkers and mountaineers registering ?
Should we all register, or should we leave it for those it was originally intended for ?
You could try reading the article I posted to and even quoted the relevant part of....
That still doesn't fully answer my question though.
I don't know all the background, but I take it http://www.emergencysms.org.uk/ is a government organisation that actually deals with 999/112 calls, while http://www.mcofs.org.uk is a voluntary organisation.
There's no mention of remote areas or poor reception on the emergencySMS site or the official leaflet, http://www.emergencysms.org.uk/files/3649_esms_6.pdf The RNID connection makes it look like it is solely intended for deaf people.
It just seems strange to me that it could clearly be useful in an emergency in a remote area, yet they make no mention of that.
What's the idea behind having to register anyway ? I don't need to register to make a speech call.
Can we just assume that if MCOS are publicising it and the 999 services themselves haven't forced them to take it down, then they do approve, they just don't mention it on their own site ?
From the RNID website:
If you have difficulty making voice calls, you can now contact the emergency services by a text message from your mobile phone. EmergencySMS is part of the standard 999 service, designed specifically for people with hearing loss or difficulty with speech.
I signed up for this in the end.
It feels a bit like parking in the disabled bay, but as I get intermittent reception even in the garden at home, never mind indoors, and the official organisations don't say not to, I did.
It feels a bit like parking in the disabled bay
This.
why would you need to register if the system is being generally rolled out? will the emergency services disregard an emergency text from someone bleeding on a hillside?
I've not thought it through but I assumed it was some form of anti-hoax process.
/Tory mode on
It's so they can get a complete list of all disabled people and de-prioritise them in advance. Don't want them clogging up emergency services for millionaires etc.
/Tory mode off
why would you need to register if the system is being generally rolled out?
Could be so that some details can be called up from records once a text is received, maybe to allow for the shortcomings of text messaging over a conversation.