Anytime you have an emergency, the best and fastest way to get help is CALLING 911. But today, for those who can’t make a phone call, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is rolling out “Text to 911.” Texting 911 for help should not be your first move unless it’s absolutely necessary. That may be the case if you have a hearing or speech impairment, or if you’re in a situation where making a voice call would put you in danger. The simple key to remember is: CALL if you can – TEXT if you can’t. Text to 911 is currently available here in Volusia County and in other Central Florida counties like Seminole, Brevard, Orange and Osceola. But it’s not available everywhere. If you try to text 911 in an area where it’s not available, you should receive a bounceback message telling you to call 911. When you text 911, your first message should be brief, with the location and type of emergency. Be ready to answer follow-up texts from us. Keep your messages clear and concise, and don’t use abbreviations or emojis. Text to 911 is currently only available in English. And you have to have a text or data plan for your text message to come through. You can’t send a text to 911 in a group message – 911 has to be the only recipient. And I shouldn’t have to say this, but DON’T text and drive! We’ll be posting this information and more on our website and all our social media pages, so please share this with anyone you think might benefit from this new service. Remember – CALL if you can, text if you can’t. And thank you for helping us make Volusia County a safer place every day. -Sheriff Mike Chitwood