Maryland Residents Can Text 911 For Help Starting Thursday

BALTIMORE, MD — Residents and visitors across Maryland will be able to text 911 for emergency services starting Thursday, Aug. 20, according to Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young. He said this improvement would aid the hearing impaired and speech impaired in particular.

For those who can, Young advised those in need to call 911 rather than text.

"While a phone call is still the preferred way to contact 911, this enhancement offers residents and visitors better access to emergency services — and in some cases, safer access," Young said. "So remember if you have to dial 911, call if you can. Text if you can't."

Once a text message is received, he said a 911 specialist would respond.

The new feature is supported by AT&T, T-Mobile, the former Sprint carrier and Verizon, according to Young.

To place an emergency message using text, people should put 911 in the "to" field on a text message.

Then they should write where the emergency is located and the type of help — police, fire or emergency medical services — that is being requested.

People cannot send videos or photos; they should only send text.

Those who try to send a text to 911 where the service is not yet available will receive a bounce-back message, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC reports that calling is the preferred method of communicating with dispatchers because it allows the caller to provide more information.