Union County residents can now text messages to 911 in the event of an emergency.
Sheriff Jamie Patton announced Friday morning that the “Text to 911” service is available to residents in the county after being tested through Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T.
According to a release from the Sheriff’s Office, the new service can connect texts from cellular devices to 911 dispatchers.
“Text to 911 can provide a significant benefit, especially when a caller cannot communicate verbally,” the release said. “Situations in which Text to 911 can be used include when the caller is hard of hearing, deaf, or speech impaired; when a crime is in progress and a 911 voice call might create danger, such as a home-invasion; when the caller is facing domestic abuse, or when the caller is injured and cannot speak.”
Patton said, however, the service should not replace voice calling.
“Text to 911 is an option for the hearing impaired and those who are in a situation where they may not be able to say things out loud for safety reasons,” Patton said. “However, voice calling 911 is still the preferred method, because its speeds up the process of getting emergency services on the way to those in need.”
To text through the service, users would enter 911 into the “To” field where phone numbers typically go.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the first message should be brief and include the location and type of emergency. A dispatcher will then respond with questions.
Users are asked to text simple words and refrain from using abbreviations or emojis, the release said.
Users are also urged to keep a few things in mind:
As with all text messages, 911 messages can take longer to receive, may get out of order, or may not be received at all.
Text to 911 is not available if your cellular device is roaming.
A text or data plan is required to place a Text to 911 message.
If texting to 911 is not available in your area, or is temporarily unavailable, you will receive a message indicating that texting 911 is not available and to contact 911 by other means.
At this time, photos and videos cannot be sent to 911.
Text to 911 cannot include more than one person. Do not send your emergency text message to anyone other than 911.