Does the Redondo Beach Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Communications Unit have TTY/TDD capability?

• Yes.
• The Redondo Beach Communications Center has TTY/TDD text telephone capability for the hearing and speech impaired.

How would the TTY/TDD system work if I make a 9-1-1 call using my device?

• If a caller uses TTY/TDD, the caller should:
  • Stay calm, place the phone receiver in the TTY and dial 9-1-1
• When the call taker answers the call, press the TTY keys (spacebar) four (4) times. This will help the call taker to recognize your call as a TTY call.
• Give the call taker time to connect their TTY.
• Press the TTY (spacebar) keys four (4) times again if necessary.
• If you are calling 9-1-1 you will receive the pre-programmed message
  • "9-1-1 what is your emergency q ga" (q for “question mark” and ga for “go ahead”).
• The call taker sees a different font and color of the text to represent each speaker.  For most TTY calls, the outgoing text for the police/fire department appears in lower case text, while incoming caller text appears in upper case text to us)
• Tell the call taker if you need:
  • police services
  • fire services 
  • emergency medical services
• The call taker will provide you with a series of questions specific to each type of emergency.
• They will ask the questions in an order that will ensure important information is received quickly, and the correct services can be dispatched immediately based on crucial information provided by the caller.

What are some examples of the questions that the call taker will ask me if I need emergency medical services?

• Examples of emergency medical service questions are:
  • 9-1-1 do you need an ambulance q ga
  • Where do you need ambulance q ga
  • When did this happen q ga
  • What is wrong with person q ga
  • Is more than one person hurt q ga
  • How old is person q ga
  • Is person conscious q ga
  • Is person breathing q ga
  • Stay on phone with me pls ga

Whare are some examples of questions that the call taker will ask me if I need the fire department?

• Examples of fire service questions are:
  • 9-1-1 do you need fire dept q ga
  • Where is fire q ga
  • What floor is on fire q ga
  • Is anyone hurt q ga
  • Any people inside q ga
  • Wait outside for fire dept ga
  • What kind of house is it q ga

What are some examples of questions that the call taker will ask if I need the assistance of the police department?

• Examples of Police service questions are:
  • 9-1-1 do you need police q ga
  • Where do you need police q ga
  • What is going on there q ga
  • What does person look like q ga

What messages might I see if I call through a service, or if I call the eleven digit number for the Communications Unit?

• If you are calling (310) 379-5411 or calling through a service, you will receive the pre-programmed generic message, "Redondo Beach PD emergency, ga".
• Provide the address where the emergency is occurring.
• State whether you need police, fire or emergency medical services.
• Provide your address if it is different from the location where the emergency or incident is occurring.
• Provide your name and telephone number.
• Stay on the telephone if it is safe and answer the call taker's questions.

How may I contact the police, fire or emergency medical services if I cannot access my TTY/TDD device in an emergency, or I am away from home?

• If you are hearing or speech impaired and you do not have TTY/TDD, you may still call 9-1-1 from a wired, land based telephone.
• You may generate a police response by:
  • Keeping the line open and not hanging up
  • By hanging up without providing any voice contact
• The dispatcher should be able to see the caller’s subscriber information (address and name) to the wired, land based wire telephone.
• With this information available, the dispatcher will send a police unit to assist you.

How may I contact the police, fire or emergency medical services if I am using a cellular telephone?  If I dial 9-1-1 on my cell phone, can emergency responders find me?

• When using a cell phone, the ability to capture a name and location address is not always available. 
• Depending on your service provider, only the address of the cell tower that receives the strongest signal from your cell phone call is provided to the local PSAP. 
• This may be miles from your actual location depending on the local topography 
• It is critical when using a cell phone for callers to be able to provide an address for their current location.

We encourage our citizens with TTY's to call us at (310) 379-5415 with your TTY to practice with us. You are helping us to serve you better by allowing us to practice. You can arrange this practice by calling the Communications Supervisor at (310) 379-2477 ext. 1-2374 and arranging a time at your convenience and our operators' availability.