Decline in usage of emergency SMS helpline for speech and hearing-impaired

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http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/usage-emergency-sms-helpline-speech-hearing-impaired-falls

An emergency service that allows the speech- and hearing-impaired to send a distress alert via short message service (SMS) to the police has seen a general decline in usage in recent years.

Voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) have attributed the trend to the emergence of other methods of communication and users not seeing the immediate need to register for such a service.

Introduced in 2008, the Emergency SMS Helpline is a joint initiative between the Singapore Police Force and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). Similar to the existing emergency hotline — 999 — the service allows those who cannot hear or speak to send a distress call via SMS to 70999.

Only those who registered for the service with NCSS via their VWOs — SG Enable, Canossian School, Lighthouse School, Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) and TOUCH Silent Club — can use the helpline.

TOUCH Silent Club said the fall could be due to users adopting other technology to reach others during emergencies.

Meanwhile, SADeaf noted that some of its new clients do not see the immediate need to register for the service, thinking that they would rarely need to call the police, fire or ambulance services.