Orange County Law Enforcement and Fire Dispatch Centers are now equipped with Text-To-9-1-1.  This will allow the hearing impaired, speech impaired, or those in an emergency situation who can’t make a phone call reach dispatchers by text message.  In 2018, more than a million calls were made to 9-1-1 in Orange County. Eighty percent of those calls came from mobile phones. Remember to always call if you can, and text if you can’t. Here’s more information about Text-to-9-1-1:

-Ensure location services on your mobile phone are turned on and be prepared to provide your location in the text.

-To get started, type “911” in the “to” field of the text message and, in addition to your location, provide the type of emergency services you need (police, fire or medical).

-Use plain text and refrain from abbreviations.

-Dispatchers cannot accept pictures, videos or icons.

-Text-to-9-1-1 cannot be used in a group text.

-If your text does not go through, you should receive a message to make a voice call.

-Calling or texting 9-1-1 when it is not an emergency is a crime punishable by up to a year in County jail and a fine of up to $1,000.­­­

 More information can be found at http://newsbuilder.ocgov.com/previews/D5/vol6issue6/pdf/TEXT%20TO%20911%20FACT%20SHEET.pdf