The tapping protocol is an initiative developed by the
government of New York City
The government of New York City, headquartered at New York City Hall in Lower Manhattan, is organized under the New York City Charter and provides for a mayor-council system. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for the a ...
to provide members of the deaf and hard of hearing community, as well as others who are unable to voice, with a means of directly reporting emergencies to
9-1-1
, usually written 911, is an emergency telephone number for the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Palau, Argentina, Philippines, Jordan, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency n ...
from the streets of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
.
The tapping protocol can be employed when calling 9-1-1 from a
pay phone
A payphone (alternative spelling: pay phone) is typically a coin-operated public telephone, often located in a telephone booth or in high-traffic outdoor areas, with prepayment by inserting money (usually coins) or by billing a credit or debit ...
or when using one of New York City's emergency call boxes to summon help. In both cases, the person reporting the emergency communicates with the 9-1-1 call-taker by tapping in a specific pattern with a finger, pen, key, etc., on the mouthpiece of the phone or the speaker section of the call box.
Two tapping patterns are used in order to distinguish the type of assistance requested: a steady tapping pattern indicates a request for Police assistance, while a repeated two-tap pattern indicates a request for
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
and
Emergency Medical Service
Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...
("EMS") response. The person reporting the emergency should employ the appropriate tapping method for at least 90 seconds, and ideally until the requested emergency services arrive. If possible, the person should remain at the pay phone or call box location to direct arriving emergency personnel to the emergency.
History
The tapping protocol was introduced in 1996 in order to meet a federal court's requirement that New York offer a 9-1-1 notification alternative that would "provide the hearing-impaired with a means of identifying not only their location, but also the type of emergency being reported."
[''Civic Association of the Deaf v. Giuliani'', 915 F. Supp. 622, 638 (S.D.N.Y. 1996)] Under New York City's
Enhanced 9-1-1
Enhanced 911, E-911 or E911 is a system used in North America to automatically provide the caller's location to 911 dispatchers. 911 is the universal emergency telephone number in the region. In the European Union, a similar system exists known as ...
("E-911") system, every telephone and emergency call box automatically transmits its location to 911 operators, so that an operator receiving a tapping call will have the caller's location on-screen and will be able to distinguish, by the tapping pattern, which emergency services are being requested.
The tapping protocol and E-911 system have been in place in New York City since then.
See also
*
Text-to-9-1-1
Text-to-911 is a technology that enables emergency call takers to receive text messages. Its use is encouraged for people with hearing impairment or who have trouble speaking; it can also be used for situations when it is too dangerous to call. Te ...
References
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External links
NYC Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities ("MOPD") websiteGetting Emergency Assistance from Pay Phones / Emergency Call BoxesMOPD information sheet on how deaf and hard of hearing persons can access emergency services
Assistive technology
Healthcare in New York City
New York City Police Department
New York City Fire Department
Emergency telephone numbers
Emergency communication
Public phones