As of July 1, 2016 the City of Osage Beach 911 Communications Center will be the only 911 Center in the Lake Area to have the capabilities of receiving text messages with “Text to 911”
In the event there is an emergency and you need to contact 911 but are unable to call you can simply type “911” in the “To” or “Recipient” field, type your message to include the type of emergency and location then press send.
If your message is not received or the service is unavailable from your location, you will receive a bounce-back message stating “Your SMS was not received, call 911 to report an emergency.”
Here are some scenarios of when “Text to 911” should be used:
• If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability
• If you cannot speak due to an injury or medical condition
• If you are in a threatening situation and a voice call could increase the threat
• If you cannot make a call because your mobile phone reception is poor
The best rule of thumb is to “Call if you can. Text if you can’t”.
And as always, Don’t Text & Drive.