Text-to-911 Now Available in Orange County

In case of emergency, dial 9-1-1. How many times have you heard that? How many times have you said the very same thing to your children or grandchildren? Many smart phones even have a feature where you simply press emergency and the call goes to 911.

But what happens if you're having an emergency and you're unable to speak, either because of a medical condition, or by speaking you'd put yourself in more danger, such as an active shooter situation. What do you do then?

Up until this past week, the only county in the Hudson Valley where you could Text-to-911 in those situations was Dutchess, but not any more. As of September 13, residents in Orange County can also take advantage of this program.

Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus, unveiled the new service that allows Orange County residents to send a short text message to 911 for emergency help. All of the major cellular phone carriers have completed integration with the county's 911 system to be able to provide this free service.

While it's always best to call when you can, now you can text when you can't.