Residents of Franklin County, Ohio, who are unable to safely call 911 can now send an SMS text message detailing their location and the nature of their emergency instead, the county's Office of Public Affairs announced Wednesday.
According to the county, this new service will assist central Ohio's deaf community in reaching emergency services. It will also provide victims of domestic violence with a discreet, silent way to request help.
Just because you can text 911, however, doesn't mean you should.
You should "call [911] if you can,” Franklin County commissioner Marilyn Brown said in a statement, "and text if you can’t."
"Calling is better than texting because emergency dispatchers can get more immediate answers to questions from callers, listen for distress in voices, and learn background information that could assist first responders in a potentially life-threatening emergency," added Commissioner Brown, who currently chairs the Franklin County 911 Planning Committee.
You must include your exact location as part of your text message. Your location is not automatically shared with a dispatcher when you text 911. If you do not describe your location, dispatchers will not know where to send help.
In order to send SMS text messages to 911, you need a "text-enabled phone or tablet with a data service plan that allows texts," per the county. Once a 911 dispatcher receives your text, they will text back with follow-up questions and instructions.
Additional information on Franklin County's "Text-to-911" initiative is available online. The county has also provided this downloadable fact sheet.
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