The Cherokee County 911 Center has underwent numerous technological upgrades over the past several months. Those upgrades have enhanced our ability to communicate with 911 callers when the caller may not be able to communicate with us. One of those upgrades is called “TEXT TO 911”!
If you find yourself in a situation where you might not be able to communicate verbally with 911, you now have the ability to text 911. You can do this by simply entering 911 as the number you wish to text, typing your message, and pressing send. This is for emergency situations only. Please make sure you include the location of the emergency, name, callback number, and what the emergency is.
Remember, in Alabama it is a crime to Interfere with Public Safety Communications by prank calling or using 911 for anything other than emergencies. Another upgrade that has enhanced our abilities is a program that allows us to more accurately locate you when calling 911 from a cellular device. This technology also utilizes information that you enter into your smart phone under the Emergency Contact Information or Emergency SOS such as Name, Age, Date of Birth, Height, Weight, Emergency Contact Names and Numbers, Medical History, Allergies, and Medications.
Cherokee 911 strongly encourages everyone, especially our older population, who has a smart phone to enter this important information into the Emergency Info or Emergency SOS section on your phone. This information provides critical life saving data to our first responders that can help them make critical decisions that could save your life.
Remember all information is confidential as it is protected by HIPAA and will only be shared with the first responders who are dispatched to your location in an emergency situation.
For anyone who has questions or may need help setting up your device with the information can call the 911 Business Office at 256-927-3911 or stop by the office located at:
260 Cedar Bluff Rd, Suite 104
Centre, AL 35960
Monday – Friday between 8AM – 4PM.