MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Emergency help in Miami-Dade County is now just a text away.
The county on Sunday launched a new Text-to-911 service that allows residents and visitors to request emergency assistance by text message.
The feature covers all seven 911 centers, including the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Miami Beach, Miami, Hialeah, Coral Gables, Aventura and the Village of Pinecrest.
“Text-to-911 makes it easier to ask for help when calling may not be possible,” said Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner in a press release. “It’s a practical tool that can make a life-saving difference — as we further enhance public safety measures.”
Text-to-911 allows anyone to send emergency text messages from any major wireless carrier. The messages should be in English and under 160 characters.
The service is designed to help people who are hearing or speech impaired, or anyone in a situation where calling 911 could be unsafe or impossible due to poor reception.
“The implementation of Text-to-911 is a vital step toward making emergency services more accessible to everyone in our community,” added Miami Beach Fire Chief Digna Abello in the press release. “This technology will give people in emergency situations another way to reach us when every second counts.”
In a video message, Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales called the service “an absolute gamechanger for us.”
To use the service, users should text 911 directly, avoid group texts, and clearly state the emergency and location in the message body. Officials ask users to silence their phones if safety is a concern and avoid using abbreviations, slang, emojis, photos or videos.
Authorities said that while text messages and calls will receive the same response, calling 911 is still preferred when possible for the fastest emergency communication.
Photographs and videos can’t be sent for the time being, but upgrades are in the works.
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