Text-to-911 in Orange County Florida

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2019

Saving lives in Orange County, Florida changed in March 2018 with the launch of Text-to-911. Orange County became one of the largest Florida counties to provide Text-to-911 – at a time when less than half of Florida counties were utilizing the service. The challenge that Orange County Government public safety professionals faced was they did not want residents to start texting to 911, in place of calling, unless absolutely necessary. Overuse of the new texting service could compromise public safety and 911 response times. Through strategic civic education and public information messaging, residents learned how to use this technology while understanding its capabilities for the deaf and hard of hearing, and those in situations where speaking would place them in danger. Orange County’s in-house government TV station produced two ADA-compliant videos for web and social, one in English and the other in American Sign Language. Additionally, County public information officers and dispatch center managers developed fact sheets and FAQs that were distributed to media and community groups during the launch of the new technology at the March 20, 2018 Board of County Commissioners meeting. One year after launch, evaluation of the campaign showed that less than one percent of texts attributed to total calls to 911, far below initial goals. Furthermore, call takers found that more than 50 percent were valid use of the technology, including a child who was unable to call 911 to report a caregiver who was driving under the influence. The text led to the apprehension of the driver and ensured the child’s safety.