New Text-to-911 Service in Orange County is Launched

GOSHEN – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus helped unveil a new Text-to-911service on Tuesday that allows residents to send a short text message to 911 for emergency help when unable to make a phone call.

Neuhaus was joined at the news conference at the County’s Emergency Services Center by, among others, Sheriff Carl E. DuBois, Commissioner of Emergency Services Brendan Casey, Deputy Commissioner of Emergency Services Craig Cherry and Deputy Commissioner of Emergency Communications Allen Wierzbicki.

“The County is very proactive about public safety and we look forward to using this important technology for 911 calls,” Neuhaus said. “This service can make the difference in saving a life and will help our 911 dispatchers, who do a wonderful job every day. Text messaging to 911 can be especially helpful when someone is in distress and doesn’t have the ability to talk on the phone.”

All major cellular phone carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon) have completed integration with Orange County’s 911 system to provide the free service. Orange County Commissioner of Emergency Services Brendan Casey stressed that text to 911 was not implemented by Orange County as a replacement to calling 911 during an emergency. Text-to-911service can be used to reach 911 in a variety of situations, including a medical emergency that has left the person unable to speak, a caller who is voice and/or hearing impaired, or if talking out loud would put the caller in danger such as an active shooter situation, a home invasion, an abduction, or a domestic violence incident.

“Text-to-911 is for everybody, but will be particularly useful to our citizens who are hearing or speech impaired,” Casey said. “This will be a great way for those individuals to communicate with the authorities when they are in need of assistance and will enhance our ability to respond to calls for help in a variety of situations. Call when you can, text when you can’t.”

Added DuBois: “The Text-to-911 feature is a very important advancement and we are glad to have it in place. It will definitely help us respond even better to emergency situations and will give residents and visitors another option to reach us. In some situations, it might save lives.”

When residents send a text message to Orange County’s 911 Center, a special sound alerts the dispatcher that it has arrived and it will appear on their computer screen. Residents will be instructed to enter 911 into field and type a message with complete words and an address.

As with 911 calls, Wierzbicki, said users should be as detailed as possible.

For more information about Text-to-911services, residents can contact their cell phone provider, or visit the FCC website at transition.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/text-to-911-faq.pdf, or fcc.gov/consumers/guides/text-911-quick-facts-faqs.