Henderson 911 Can Now Receive Text Messages

Henderson, Ky 3/25/21- Henderson 911 is now equipped and ready to receive 911 text messages. According to the 911 Center’s social media page, they encourage calling, but if you are unable to, they say they can now assist you through text message and say the most important information you can give 911 is your location first.

Text-to-911 refers to the ability to send text messages to your local 911 call center during an emergency. The Henderson Emergency Communications center is now equipped to receive text messages but says Call if you can, text if you must. The public should only text 911 if it is the only option and making a voice call to 911 isn’t possible.

“We encourage calling but if you are in a situation where you have an emergency and you are unable to talk to a dispatcher, we can now assist you through text message. This is a wonderful tool for our community and will be very useful to those who are non-verbal, hard of hearing, deaf, and/or speech impaired. Other examples might include a caller facing a threatening situation and a voice call could increase the threat such as a home invasion in progress.” says Henderson 911 Director Jordan Webb. “As with any voice call or text to 911 the most important information you can give the dispatcher is the location of the emergency. While most technology provides the general vicinity, the exact location is of the utmost importance to get help to you. With technology constantly evolving in communications, this is the first step of many in the future for 911.“

Some other examples include:

The caller is facing a threatening situation and a voice call could increase the threat.
The caller is injured or suffered a medical condition and cannot speak.
The caller is in a remote location and can only send out a text message.
Phone lines and cell phone towers are overwhelmed and only a text can get through. Examples include sporting and concert events, congested areas around shopping centers during the holidays, large traffic jams, rush-hour in some areas, etc.

How to text 911 is actually pretty simple.

Enter the numbers “911” in the “To” field (do not enter with dashes like “9-1-1”)
The first text message to 911 should be brief and contain the location of the emergency and type of help needed
Push the send button
Be prepared to answer questions and follow instruction from the 911 call taker
Text in simple words – do not use abbreviations
Keep text messages brief and concise
Once you have initiated a text-to-911 conversation, do not delete the message or turn off the phone until the dispatcher tells you it is okay.