Text-to-911 Service Now Available in Orland Park: Village

ORLAND PARK, IL — Orland Park residents can now reach 911 dispatchers via text message.

Effective Tuesday, the 911 call center in Orland Park will begin accepting text messages via Text-to-911 service.

The Illinois State Police are working to implement the Text-to-911 service across Illinois, and the Village of Orland Park is now certified to offer it, the Village said Tuesday in a release.

Customers of wireless carriers who are enrolled in their carriers’ text messaging and/or data plan can send text messages to 911 in an emergency when they are unable to place a phone call. This includes those who are hearing impaired, hard of hearing, or speech impaired, those who may find themselves in a situation where placing a voice call could put them in danger, or those who are experiencing a medical emergency and are unable to speak.

"It is important to have more than one way to contact 911 because every situation is different," said Orland Park Police Chief Eric Rossi. "The ability to send a text message to 911 gives residents and visitors, particularly those who may have difficulty placing a voice call, better access to emergency services, and our goal is to keep our community as safe as possible."

If you require emergency services and are unable to place a phone call, you can enter 911 in the “To” line of a new text message and begin your message with the location of the emergency and the type of help needed—police, fire, or emergency medical services. Once the message has been received at the 911 call center, a public safety telecommunicator will respond. You should be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions.

"We are excited to offer another way to keep our residents safe," said Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau. "We never want emergencies to happen, but we always want to be prepared when they do."

Additional tips for using Text-to-911 service:

• As with all text messages, messages to 911 may take longer to receive, may be received out of order, and/or may not be received at all.
• If Text-to-911 service is not available, you will receive a bounce-back message from your carrier telling you to place a phone or relay call instead.
• Photos and videos cannot be received by 911 call centers.
• Limited translation services may be available in your area.
• Keep text messages short and simple, and avoid using slang or abbreviations.
• Including an additional contact in your text message may prevent it from being received by 911.
• Call if you can, text if you can’t.
• Do not text and drive.