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!)