MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Madison County Emergency Communications Center has rolled out a new way to contact 911 when you can’t call.
It’s called: Texty.
Madison County Deputy Judge Executive Jill Williams says it was all funded through a grant.
“So that could be because someone is hearing impaired. It could be because they have a speech failure. It could be because they’re in a precarious situation where it’s safer for them to text instead of actually calling 911,” explains Williams.
But how does it work?
“So it’s really pretty simple. You use the text app on your phone, not a third-party app, so it’s got to be the text app on your phone,” Williams details.
Williams says you text 911 in the “To” field, and then, “you would text that information. Whatever is relevant as much information as possible.”
It’s not a one-way line. Dispatchers will be able to text back to help you during that time.
“One of the things that is important for everyone to remember is it’s not necessarily a replacement of calling 911 because call when you can, text when you can’t,” said Williams.
All 24 dispatchers are trained in “Texty” before it went live to the public, so they can help their community to the fullest extent.
“This is an additional resource to help keep the people of Madison County safe,” said Williams. “To make sure we get- we use our 911 technology to get our first responders where they need to go. To help keep our community safe. And that is the utmost importance.”
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
