911 Four major cellular carriers can now deliver text to 911 messages in Paulding County

[gpatt0n]

Dallas Ga., : As of August 20^th, 2014, cellular subscribers of all four major cellular carriers can now send a short message service (SMS) text message to Paulding County E-9-1-1 for emergency help when unable to place a 911 voice call. This service is now available to any subscriber of Verizon Wireless, Sprint, AT&T or T-Mobile within range of a Paulding County cell tower. Text to 9-1-1 is primarily designed for use in two emergency situations: Individuals who are hearing or speech impaired, or for a person who is unable to make a voice call.

“Text to 911 service was first implemented in Paulding County on April 1^st, 2014 for Verizon wireless customers. The initial testing with Verizon was very successful and we decided to move forward and implement text to 9-1-1 for the remaining three carriers; Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile. We feel that text to 911 could be a life-saving factor in situations where callers might not otherwise be able to place a voice call to 911.” said David Mumford, Director, Paulding County E-9-1-1 Center. “We want to remind the public that Text to 9-1-1 is for emergency use only, and only when situations prevent a voice call to 911. Remember to Call if you can and Text if you can’t. The staff at the Paulding County 911 Center has worked hard behind the scenes to make emergency text messaging possible to residents and visitors in Paulding County.”

While the ability to send a text message in the event of an emergency could prove to be vital, text messages are not the preferred method of contacting 9-1-1 in an emergency. A voice call is still the preferred means for requesting help unless the caller cannot make a voice call. Paulding County has adopted the NENA text campaign slogan “Call if you can; Text if you can’t.”

[The Sound Guy]

Interesting!! Good news blurb. Thanks Pubby.