Text to 911 an Option in Effingham County

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Published on March 27 2020 4:18 pm
Last Updated on March 28 2020 7:36 am
Written by Greg Sapp

 

TEXT to 911 is now available in Effingham County

Text to 911 is an option to help those who are deaf, hard of hearing, speech impaired and anyone who feels unsafe speaking over the phone.

CALL if you can. TEXT if you cannot.

Dialing 911 and using voice communication in an emergency is still the preferred and best way to ask for help. When necessary, emergencies can now be reported with text to 911 service answered by the 911 Telecommunicators working at the County Sheriff’s Office and City Police Department in Effingham County.

People who have difficulty hearing, speaking, or who fear being overheard when there is danger can now use the text to 911 method instead of a voice phone call to report the emergency for police, fire or EMS in Effingham County.

This is part of the Next Generation project for the state of Illinois working towards all 911 systems having the capability to receive Text-to-911. Currently not all counties and 911 systems in the state are TEXT to 911 ready.

  • Photos, videos and emojis can NOT be sent or received in this method.
  • Current technology will only accept messages in English by TEXT to 911.
  • A service plan is required to send texts, though not required to place a voice 911 call. Voice call is best during an emergency.
  • A bounce back message to make a TEXT to 911 call may be received if in an area that cell coverage is not directed to an Effingham County cell site.

For more information on 911 in Effingham County go to http://www.911effinghamcounty.org/