9-1-1 Tapping Protocol
The 9-1-1 Tapping Protocol is an initiative developed by the government of New York City 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 from the streets of New York City. The tapping protocol can be employed when calling 9-1-1 from a pay phone 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 and emergency medical service ("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