Fairfax County Police Introduce 'Text to 9-1-1' Service

Text messaging has become a preferred method of communication in the 21st century, and in a major development this week Fairfax County announced its residents can now text 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency.

The county still encourages citizens to call 9-1-1 if an emergency arises, but enabled texting responders about an emergency for situations in which making a phone call is not a viable option, including:

• An emergency affecting someone who is deaf, hard of hearing or has a speech disability.
• A situation in which it is not safe for the victim to make a phone call.
• A medical emergency that renders the victim incapable of speaking.
• Being unable to make an outgoing call due to lack of signal or network errors.

Texting an emergency to 9-1-1 is simple, so long as you’re straightforward with your messages.

Enter “911” as the recipient (no dashes), then write out a brief message including the location of the emergency and which responders you require: police, firefighters or EMTs.

It is vital to be as specific as possible when giving your location. If you have an exact address, use it. If not, give nearby street names or landmarks to specify your location

A 9-1-1 responder will reply to your text, sometimes with follow-up questions you’ll need to answer, if possible.

The 9-1-1 text messaging system does not accept photos or videos in a text message at this time, the county confirmed.

The texting system only works in Fairfax County, including the towns of Herndon, Vienna and Clifton as well as the city of Fairfax. The county is now part of a minority of less than 5 percent of American law enforcement to offer this texting service.

You must use AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon as your mobile carrier to utilize this service.

For more information, visit the county’s website here.

Patch file photo