Eaton County Central Dispatch is reminding Eaton County residents that text-to-911 is available for help.
The service may have saved a life on Monday, Dec. 10, when a 47-year-old resident of Eaton County was having an asthma attack and her breathing treatments were not working, according to a media release from Eaton County 911
She was unable to talk, but knew that text-to-911 was available,
“I would’ve never been able to make a phone call. I was unable to talk,” she said. As the 911 telecommunicator got an ambulance going, the woman mentioned that there were children in the house. The quick thinking telecommunicator also got law enforcement on the way to help with the children until other arrangements could be made.
“There have been several cases where text-to-911 has been successfully used in our county to get help dispatched,” according to 911 Director Michael Armitage. “This case stood out as the patient reached out to the 911 center on social media to share the impact that the service had for her,” he said. Texting 911 is intended for instances where someone is unable to talk, but can safely text 911.
Eaton County 911 encourages people to call if they can, but text if they can’t.
“This is a prime example on why we launched the service in Eaton County,” according to Armitage. “This service opens up an avenue for help to those who can’t speak for any reason, whether it be a medical emergency, disability, intruder, human trafficking, or domestic violence as examples.”
Text-to-911 is currently available in several mid-Michigan counties, including Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Eaton, Hillsdale, and Ionia. Eaton County was the fourth in the state to receive text-to-911 messages in the spring of 2015.
A complete map of text-to-911 participation is available from the state 911committee: https://www.michigan.gov/
