Text-to-911 now available in Obion County

OBION COUNTY, Tenn. — There is a new way to contact the Obion County Emergency Communications District.

The district announced on Monday that it is now able to receive text-to-911.

“We want everyone to remember that it is always better to call and speak to the 911 dispatchers if possible,” Obion County 911 Executive Director Sherri Hanna said. “But if a person cannot get a voice call out or cannot speak for a valid reason, then sending a text to 911 is recommended. If the text comes through to a text-enabled center like ours, the person should be ready to answer some brief questions just as if on a 911 call. Remember — call when you can, text if you can’t.”

Obion County 911 says to send the location and type of emergency in the first text, keep the text simple, and do not use slang or abbreviations.

The district says text-to-911 is not available in every jurisdiction. They say a bounceback message will be sent if sent from an area it is not available in.

If you do not get a text back, try to call 911 instead. The service is only available in English.

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