Foster City Residents Can Now Text 911 In An Emergency

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — Foster City residents now have a new option when it comes to getting ahold of an emergency dispatcher in a time of need: texting. "Text to 911" is now live in San Mateo County.

The County of San Mateo recently rolled out new technology to receive and respond to mobile phone SMS text to 911 messages, officials announced this week.

Officials say it works just like it sounds: you simply create a text message to 911 to alert police that you are in need.

This will be especially useful should someone find themselves in a scary situation that does not allow them to call, for fear of being heard— as in such a terrible situation as the YouTube shooting. It'll also open a line of communication for others who may not be able to speak or hear.

'Call If You Can... Text If You Can't'

However, emergency officials say it's still better to phone 911 if that's an option.

"For the deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired communities, texting to 911 is always an acceptable way to contact 911 for help," the San Mateo Police Chiefs & Sheriff Association said in a news release announcing the program. "Others should only use the text to 911 feature when speaking to a 911 Dispatcher is not possible or may place an individual at risk."

The Association also provided the following advice for using the Text to 911 service:

• Always provide the exact location of the emergency
• Text messages should be brief and easy to understand
• Do not use abbreviations, emojis or slang
• Remember that the ability to send/receive images and videos is limited and often dependent on the cellular provider
• Texts can only be received in English at this time - this service will be available in additional languages in the near future

It's also important to note that phones or devices must be on a text or data plan, be text capable, and have their location services enabled to send a text message to 911.

All phones or devices must include a text or data plan, be text capable, and have their location services enabled to send a text message to 911.

— Patch photo by Renee Schiavone