PHOENIX - Starting Monday, you can now text your emergency to 911. According to the City of Glendale, 26 dispatch centers across the Phoenix area have been practicing with the system since December 2017.
This new feature will allow better access to 911 for those in danger, including the hearing impaired.
Terri Guy, who is deaf, says the new Text to 911 service will help those with hearing impairments make emergency calls more clearly.
"When you need help and you're trying to communicate that, you can't hear them, they're not really going to help you," said Terri Guy. "It empowers us to make sure we are understood."
It will also be beneficial for people who are not able to speak to 911 operators because of any physical impairment or if speaking would put themselves in danger by talking on the phone.
Officials with the City of Glendale said in a release that the feature doesn't currently have any location services available with texting. So if you do text 911, you need to include your location in the text message.
And with no interpretations available, the text must be in English.
The system is also not able to receive group messages and cannot receive photos.