Ten years after it arrived in Denton County, the option to text 911 is still the quiet alternative officials point people to when a phone call could put them in danger.
Denco Area 9-1-1 District marked the 10th anniversary of its Text-to-911 service on Wednesday, Oct. 14, the Cross Timbers Gazette reported. The district says thousands of text conversations with dispatchers have taken place across its service area since the option launched in 2016.
How it works
To use it, start a new text message, type 911 with no dashes in the "to" line, and describe the emergency and where it is happening. A dispatcher answers by text and asks for whatever else is needed. Denco says a texter reaches the same trained dispatchers as a voice caller, but a phone call remains the preferred way to report an emergency.
Text-to-911 is not yet available everywhere in the country.
Officials say it is used most when talking aloud is unsafe or not possible, such as during family violence, a break-in or certain medical emergencies. It also gives people who are deaf, hard of hearing or unable to speak a direct way to ask for help.
"Ten years ago, Text-to-911 gave our community another way to reach emergency services when making a voice call was not possible," Denco Executive Director Greg Ballentine said.
