No, you should not rely on Telair’s programmable SMS during emergency situations. SMS communications to emergency services are disabled by default. Instead, calling 911 is advised. Promising such connectivity to your end users would violate our Acceptable Use Policy.
Please instruct your end users who may need to contact 911 to use an alternative method, such as a standard wireless service. In some countries including Canada and the United States, mobile phones can place emergency voice calls to 911 even if no SIM card is installed on the device.
More about Text-to-911 in the US
End users in the US who need to reach emergency services should make a voice call from a mobile phone or landline if possible.
In the US, the FCC recommends that voice calls are preferable since Text-to-911 currently has limited support.
Voice calls to 911 are usually the most efficient way to reach emergency help because:
- Voice calls allow 911 operators to ask questions and obtain information while two-way communication by text can take more time,
- Text messages can be subjected to a maximum length limit, and
- Emergency services will usually automatically receive your phone number and approximate location.
Can I use Telair for other types of notifications and alerts?
Absolutely. We encourage you to use Telair to send notifications that do not directly concern life safety. Telair can be used to send early warning alerts, public safety advisories, event cancellations, and so on.
However, in critical situations, we recommend building in redundancies and using Telair notifications in conjunction with other public warning systems, such as sirens, radio, and TV broadcasts.