FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — In Williamson County, help is just a text message away. You can now text 911 if you are in an emergency.
"It's a location-based feature so the cell carriers will ping the tower closest to where your phone is and send you to that closest dispatch center," said Jill Burgen, the spokesperson for the Williamson County Emergency Management Agency.
It's as simple as typing 911 in the "to" field and sending your message. Officials said it's important to include the location of the emergency and the type of emergency in your initial text message.
The feature is helpful for those who are hearing or speech impaired. It's also a safe option when speaking out loud may be too dangerous.
"It can even be a domestic abuse situation, if someone wants to remain quiet or hide, that's an option, and also maybe for younger kids who may feel like there's someone trying to enter their home," said Burgen.
Just in the week that it's been available, dispatchers have already received several texts.
"I think that it says that our residents are really aware of their surroundings and what's available to them. They want to take advantage of the fastest way to get help as possible, as many options as you can have as possible," said Burgen.
Williamson joins other Middle Tennessee counties with the feature. Since January 2021, Wilson County dispatchers have received 234 texts. Metro Nashville has received 16,158. While not every text is an emergency, many of them were legitimate.
"These texts are emergency calls for service," said Burgen. "So they don't want you to practice texting or anything like that. It's actually a legitimate emergency call."
So if you find yourself in need of help, emergency responders say "call when you can, text when you can’t.”
