A press release from Calhoun County 9-1-1 announced Wednesday a new method of emergency communication: the ability to text 9-1-1 for help.

Drew Freeman with Calhoun County 9-1-1 wrote in the release:

Text to 9-1-1 is particularly useful for hearing-impaired individuals as well as during any emergency where speaking may place the caller in danger, such as an active shooter situation or in a home/school invasion. The Text to 9-1-1 service is available when using a wireless device affiliated with any of the four major wireless carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. To use this new feature, simply compose a text message addressed to “911”. You must be in Calhoun County, and the message must be under 140 characters. Be sure to include the location of the incident and the type of emergency in order to minimize emergency response times.

“Text to 9-1-1 is the first of many upgrades to the legacy 9-1-1 system we use today,” Calhoun County 9-1-1 Executive Director Kevin Jenkins said. “Within the next five years or so, our systems will support the ability for a 9-1-1 caller to send live video and pictures of emergency incidents to the [sic] in real time during a voice call or text to 9-1-1.”

Calhoun County residents can register with Smart 9-1-1, which is “a service that allows users to create a profile of important information that becomes available to emergency responders and dispatchers at the time of a 9-1-1 call.” The release states that those who register for Smart 9-1-1 can included critical information like gate codes, medicinal information, pets, and more.

Visit smart911.com and follow the instructions to sign up.

information provided by WIAT www.wiat.com