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You can text 911 in Victoria in an emergency.

Although the ability and the service needed to text 911 in Victoria has been around since 2019, not many people know that in an emergency you can text 911 instead of calling in our area.

Did you know you could text 911 in Victoria in an emergency?

Not all communities offer this service, so a thank you to our community leaders and VPD for offering it in the Crossroads!

FCC rules require all wireless carriers and other providers of text messaging applications in the United States to deliver emergency texts to call centers that request them and Victoria was one of those cities.

Please pass this valuable information to anyone you know in our community.

When I learned that this service was available in Victoria I quickly thought of the situations where this would be the optimal way of alerting authorities to an emergency. What if the caller was deaf, or choking or what if someone was not able to call 9-1-1 in an emergency because making a phone call would alert an agitator to the call.

By sharing this information, you could be saving a life.

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Victoria Police and Information Officer David Brogger offers insight. In an emergency, texting 911 is an option, however, if you are able, call 911 as a first resort.

The Federal Communications Commission office explains further.

"Text-to-911 is the ability to send a text message to reach 911 emergency call takers from your mobile phone or device. However, because voice calls to 911 provide more information to 911 call centers, you should always make a voice call to 911 during an emergency whenever possible."

On a side note, if you are able, here are some things to text immediately to help save valuable time; the nature of the emergency, any details that would help authorities, your location, and what type of emergency response you need (fire, police, ambulance).

You can read more details and tips here.

We hope you never have to use it, but it's good to know our community has the service available if we need it.  

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