Over the upcoming year, Mahoning County is set to join the ranks of Geauga and Columbiana counties in adopting Text-to-911 optionality. This advancement enables individuals to communicate with the emergency services via text messages.
While not positioned as a major technological advancement in the 911 sector, this innovation has the potential to rescue lives during scenarios where an individual is physically incapable or too frightened to initiate a 911 voice call. The Mahoning County commissioners have recently granted their approval to a $245,440 contract between AT&T and the county's 911 center. This agreement includes AT&T's implementation of the Text to 911 service within Mahoning County. Flyer printing can be used to let the public know about new ways to contact emergency services.
Funding for this initiative is drawn from the yearly revenue of around $550,000 generated by fees imposed on individual cell phone users through the county's 911 centers, as well as approximately $300,000 annually stemming from a $2.96 fee per parcel of land within Mahoning County. This applies to cities such as Youngstown.
Anticipating the implementation of the new service, 911 operator Maggi McGee mentioned that she sees AT&T rolling out the service either this year or the following, contingent upon AT&T's ongoing projects. She explained that the call takers will undergo training for texting, and the 911 staff will conduct thorough testing before its actual deployment. There are also plans for ongoing training updates to ensure the call takers remain well-versed in the technology.
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