Submitted by Lewis County 911 Communications
We are pleased to announce residents and visitors of Lewis County can now text “911” on their cell phones and be connected with a 911 Telecommunication Officer in an emergency.
“Making voice contact with 911 directly is the easiest and most reliable way to get help in an emergency or to report a crime in progress. If you can call 911 for help, please do, but for those times when you can’t call, there is now ‘Text-to-9-1-1,’ ” said Scott Smitherman, Administrator for Lewis County 911.
Texting 911 improves Telecommunication Officers’ ability to communicate with:
- Citizens who are unable to call 911 because doing so may expose them to further danger.
- Citizens who are hearing or speech impaired.
- Citizens who cannot speak due to a medical emergency.
- Citizens who are in an area with limited or poor cellular coverage.
“It is imperative that we receive an address from the caller as the cellular service providers are not mandated to provide any call location information,” Smitherman stated.
We are happy to be able to offer this life-saving service to the citizens and visitors of Lewis County.
As your emergency telecommunications professionals, we are continuing work to improve our ability to respond to your emergencies efficiently, effectively and safely.
Please help keep 9-1-1 available for those who need it. DO NOT send test texts. Text-to-9-1-1 is not for anonymous tips. Text-to-9-1-1 is only available in English at this time.
Do not text and drive!
