Medical and law enforcement emergency services can now be summoned via text message in the San Diego area in situations when a traditional 911 call is impossible or unsafe, authorities announced Tuesday.
"Calling is still the fastest way to reach (a) 911 (dispatcher)," the San Diego County Sheriff's Department advised. "However, there are situations when texting may be the better option — (if) you're deaf, hard of hearing, nonverbal or have difficulty speaking; you're in a situation where it's not safe to call 911 for help; (or) you're having a medical emergency and cannot speak on the phone."
To send this type of call for assistance, cellphone users need to enter the numbers 911 in the "to" field of their texting application, then type the location and nature of the emergency in the message field and send it. An emergency operator will respond to get details about the situation and advise on what to do next.
The service, which currently is only available for English speakers, should be used only when a traditional 911 call is not feasible, according to sheriff's officials.
Photos and videos cannot be sent over the system, messages cannot be sent to multiple recipients at the same time, and data and message charges may apply.
