On November 2, 2017, the Sumner County Emergency Communications Center in conjunction with the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council are pleased to announce the availability of Text-to-911 during an emergency. Text-to-911 service will be available for those individuals who cannot safely make a voice call to 911 in an emergency. This will be a valuable service to the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Testing for Text-to-911 has been completed in Sumner County and is available with plans from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, & Verizon Wireless. Text-to-911 may not be available outside of Sumner County. If a text is made to 911 where that service is not available, a message will be sent back to the phone advising the customer to make a voice call.
Some situations when Text-to-911 is appropriate:
- Deaf, hard of hearing callers, or individuals with a speech disability
- A caller who is unable to speak due to a medical or other condition
- Emergency situations that would put the caller in danger if making a voice call
- Examples include abduction, domestic violence or active shooter situation
When texting to 911, follow these guidelines
- Provide your exact address or location
- Explain the type of emergency or help that is being requested
- Be prepared to answer any questions that the 911 telecommunicator texts back.
- Use plain language; do not use abbreviations, symbols, emoticons, or photos.
- Messages should be brief and concise
Texting 911 can be done by typing “911” in the field for a phone number. No other numbers need to be used. Texting should be done through your wireless phones text messaging service and not from a third party texting applications. Text-to-911 does require an active telephone service plan with data or it will not work.
Remember, the best way to contact 911 is by making a voice call. Please only utilize this service in emergency circumstances where a voice call is not possible or safe.
SCEC and the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council are excited to offer Text-to-911 service to the citizens of Sumner County.
Remember: CALL if You Can, TEXT if You Can’t!
Sumner County Emergency Communications 