O’Brien County, Iowa — O’Brien County has joined several other counties around the state of Iowa who are equipped to receive 911 calls via text messaging.
O’Brien County Emergency Management Coordinator Jerad Johnson says Iowa Homeland Security has been pushing for the 911 text services to become available in all 99 counties in Iowa.
Johnson says the equipment was installed and the O’Brien County dispatchers completed training within about the last month.
He says, unfortunately, at this time not ALL cell carriers are compatible with the new Text to 911 system.
Johnson says the service can be especially vital during a dangerous situation, such as a domestic violence incident, giving the victim access to 911 without anyone hearing them talk to dispatchers.
He stressed that 911 is an EMERGENCY service, whether you’re calling or texting, and should ONLY be used in case of emergency.
O’Brien County joins Osceola, Sioux, and Lyon counties here in northwest Iowa in being Text to 911 compatible. The map at the top of this story shows what Iowa counties have Text to 911 service available.
