How to Report a Problem w/ Textizen
With an office of only 9 full time staff members, FOW relies on the public to report issues they observe in the park in order to address them in a timely manner, and ensure the preservation of Wissahickon Valley Park for generations to come. These problems can range from not urgent (for example, a fallen tree blocking a trail) to emergency situations (someone is hurt in the park). All emergency situations should be reported to 911 first and foremost, but to quickly and efficiently alert our staff to a non-emergency issue, park visitors can use our Report a Problem text system.
Before we begin our brief tutorial on how to text in an issue in the park, it’s important to take a photo or drop a pin of your location on your phone’s map app. This will allow us to geolocate the position of that fallen tree or broken fence rail, and will avoid wasted hours wandering a specific trail trying to find the source of the problem. Here’s instructions on how to drop a pin in Google Maps and Apple Maps. (Once you’ve dropped your pin, you’ll need to take a screen shot–here’s instructions for Androids and iPhones. Please make sure you include enough surrounding park to make the pin location identifiable).
Now that you’ve marked your location with a photo of the issue or a mapped pin, let’s begin:
- Text WISS to (267) 966-2207.
- You’ll receive an automatic reply with three options: A) Report a problem, B) Donate, or C) Subscribe to updates. Reply to the message with the corresponding letter option.
- If you replied A, it will ask your to select the type of problem. Again, choose the appropriate corresponding letter.
- The next reply will prompt you to describe your location. Please do so to the best of your ability.
- The next reply will ask you to supply a photo. Here’s where you’ll be able to respond with the photo or screenshot you took.