W-Y Communications is pleased to announce that it now has text-to-911 capabilities.
Text-to-911 is the ability to send a text message to reach 911 emergency call-takers from your mobile phone or device. W-Y Communications have been offering this service for a while, but was taking its time with an official announcement to make sure that the employees were properly trained and that the bugs were worked out.
Voice calls to 911 provide more information to 911 call centers, and one should always make a voice call to 911 during an emergency whenever possible. But in some cases, when it’s not safe to call or cellular service is limited, texting can be a better option. Text-to-911 is also a great option for community members who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech disabled if a TTY or other service is unavailable.
Texting isn’t meant to replace calling 911. Texting is slower and less efficient, but it’s also better than nothing in an emergency. Simply use your phone’s default text messaging (or SMS) app. This doesn’t integrate with social media or other messaging services.
W-Y Communications is excited to be offering this service to the community, but hope that you never need to use it. For more information on emergency services, you can visit W-Y’s website at wycomm.org.
