Kalamazoo County Consolidated Dispatch Authority (KCCDA), Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, Kalamazoo Township Police Department, and Portage Public Safety announces the GO-LIVE of Text-to-9-1-1!

Text-to-9-1-1 service allows residents and visitors to send a text message to 9-1-1 from their mobile devices if they are within Kalamazoo County.

KCCDA began the coordinated effort to deploy the service in August of last year. The 9-1-1 centers have been testing the four major wireless carriers since early December; with the last successfully tested on January 25th.

“We are very proud to have coordinated the county-wide deployment of Text-to-911 service for the residents, students, and visitors of Kalamazoo County” Jan Van Der Kley, Chairperson of KCCDA’s Board of Directors said. “While this is only an interim solution, it does provide another avenue for individuals to contact 9-1-1 during a time of need.”

While this new service is available, public safety officials county-wide want to remind everyone that calling 9-1-1 remains the most time effective method to access emergency personnel.

We encourage you to Call if you can; Text if you can’t!

Important Information about Text-to-911:

• The location of the emergency is the most vital information when initiating a text to 9-1-1
• Be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions
• DO NOT text and drive
• A text or data plan is required to place a text to 9-1-1
• 9-1-1 cannot be a recipient of a group text message
• Don’t abuse 9-1-1 – Text-to-9-1-1 is only for emergencies
• Text to 9-1-1 service is not available everywhere in Michigan nor the U.S.
• If you attempt to send a Text-to-911 and the service is not available, you will receive an auto-reply message advising the service is not available and to make a voice call.

Questions about the content of this release can be directed to KCCDA Executive Director Jeff Troyer at (269) 718-2195.