Residents of Streator and Livingston County can now send text messages to 911 in an emergency. (AP/Kiichiro Sato)
Residents of Streator and Livingston County can now send text messages to 911 in an emergency.
The Vermilion Valley Emergency Communications Joint Authority began accepting Text-to-911 messages earlier this month.
The new service has been introduced in other nearby communities over the past few years and allows people who are unable to make a phone call to reach emergency services.
“While a phone call is still the preferred way to contact 911 for operators, the ability to send a text message gives residents and visitors better access to emergency services,” V-Comm Director of Communications Sarah Bohm said.
To use the service, residents simply text 911, starting the message with the location of the emergency and whether they need police, fire or medical services. A public safety telecommunicator will respond, but people should be ready to answer questions as they would in a phone call with 911.
Also, there’s a chance text messages may take longer to receive, arrive out of order or fail to be delivered. Photos and videos can’t be sent and people should keep messages as short as possible while avoiding any slang or abbreviations.
If the service is unavailable for some reason, carriers will send a bounce-back message advising users to place a voice or relay call.
Bill Freskos is a multimedia journalist based in the Illinois Valley. He covers hard news, local government, sports, business enterprise, and politics while contributing to Shaw Local Radio stations for Shaw Media across La Salle, Bureau, and Putnam counties.

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