The capability went live on Wednesday for citizens of Madison County, including residents of Huntsville and Madison, to text emergencies to 911.

The Huntsville-Madison County 911 Center made the announcement in a release, where they emphasized that if it is at all possible, residents should call 911 instead of utilizing the new text option.

Texting 911 is available to customers of Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, SouthernLINC or Sprint.

“Text-to-9-1-1 provides another layer of service that will greatly enhance safety for the community we serve,” said Chris Tucker, chief operating officer of the 911 center.

The center provided three circumstances when texting 911 is most appropriate:

● When calling 911 is not possible, such as if the caller is deaf, hearing or speech impaired.
● If a caller is otherwise unable to speak, because of a medical condition (such as a stroke).
● If speaking would be unsafe, as in the case of abduction, domestic violence, or home invasion.

“Having the ability to send text messages to 9-1-1 is a gamechanger for the deaf community,” said Frances Smallwood, president and founder of Deaf Access, Inc. “Those who are deaf or hard of hearing struggle with things that we often take for granted; having direct and easy access to emergency personnel when it could be a matter of life or death is paramount, and something that can potentially save lives.”

The Huntsville-Madison County 911 Center has focused on recent years on upgrading its offerings and expanding to keep pace with the area’s growing population. The center recently moved into a new 30,000 square foot building.

In a release, the organization noted that the text service will also be utilized to confirm whether or not an accidental call to 911 has been made.

“Although recommended as the second option for contacting 9-1-1, text messaging is one of the primary ways people communicate today; by having this option we’re able to ensure anyone who may not be able to dial our team receives emergency service when and where they need it,” Tucker concluded.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.