Text to 911 Now Available in Yolo County
Text to 911 Now Available in Yolo County
Call If You Can, Text if You Can’t
Yolo County residents needing emergency services are now able to text their situation to emergency dispatchers.
Text-to-911 is intended primarily for use in specific emergency scenarios:
- for an individual who is speech, or hearing, impaired;
- for a person who is unable to call 911 due to a medical emergency that renders them unable to speak;
- in the event of a crime such as a home invasion where speaking might give away the location of a person hiding, or in an abduction situation; or,
- in domestic violence situations where it’s not safe to make a voice call.
When determining whether to make voice call or send a text keep the following in mind:
- Callers should text 911 only when calling is not an option
- Texting is not always instantaneous, which means it may take slightly longer to dispatch emergency services in a text-to-911 situation
- Providing location information and nature of the emergency in the first text message is imperative, since
- Yolo County 911 may not receive location information and will not be able to speak with the person sending the text. Text abbreviations or slang should never be used to that the intent of the message can be as clear as possible.
- Those who use the system must have a cell phone that is activated and capable of sending text messages in order to reach 911 via text. There is no charge to the customer for sending a text to 911.
How to text 911 in an emergency:
- Enter the numbers “911” in the “To” field;
- The first text message to 911 should be brief and contain the location of the emergency and the type of help needed;
- Push the “Send” button.
- Be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from the 911 call taker.
- Text in simple words – do not use abbreviations or emojis.
- Do not send pictures or attachments
- Keep text messages brief and concise.
We encourage anyone who has any further questions to please contact our dispatch center. We would be happy to provide further education on these services including a test scenario from your phone at a scheduled time.