Naperville residents can now text 911 in an emergency, the city’s Public Safety Answering Point announced last month.

       “While we want to emphasize that calling 911 is still the fastest, most reliable way to contact us, we know that offering texting as an option is critical in so many scenarios,” Emergency Communications Manager Jillianne Chuffo said in a news release. “We’re thankful to be able to offer texting as an option for citizens who have an emergency but aren’t able to speak — either because it’s not safe or because of a disability.”

       Here’s what residents need to know:

       How can I text 911 in Naperville?

       First, you need to enter “911″ into the message “to” or “recipient” field. The first text you send should include your location and what kind of help you need, according to information on Naperville’s website. Press send, and be prepared to answer follow-up messages. When texting 911, keep your messages short and free of emojis, slang or abbreviations and photos and videos.

       Emergency Communications Manager Jillianne Chuffo demonstrates a 911 emergency text exchange at the Public Safety Answering Point on Oct. 6, 2021. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

       When should I text 911? When should I call?

       Naperville officials are asking residents to still call 911 if possible. They say that text-to-911 is intended primarily for three situations: if someone is deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired; if a situation makes it unsafe for a person to call 911; or if someone has suffered a medical emergency that has made them unable to speak.

       What are the limitations of text-to-911?

       A 2018 Associated Press article highlighted some of the challenges of implementing text-to-911 programs: Lack of funding was an issue, as was outdated call-center technology.

       When you call 911, dispatchers are typically able to receive your approximate location, according to Naperville’s website. But that’s not the case for texts. That’s why it’s so important to provide your address as soon as possible if you do need to text 911.

       In Naperville, only Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile/Sprint customers can text 911, according to information on the city’s website. You must have a text or data plan to text 911, and regular texting rates will apply. Text-to-911 is only available in English; translation services are available via phone call. And you cannot text 911 in a group message.

       More information about Naperville’s text-to-911 program is available on the Police Department’s Communications webpage.

       Video surveillance screens are illuminated at the Public Safety Answering Point, also known as the 911 center, inside the Naperville Police Department on Oct. 6, 2021. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

       Can I text 911 in Chicago?

       Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications does not accept texts to 911, according to Mary May, a spokesperson for the agency. However, after a 911 call has been made, dispatchers can initiate a text chat with callers who are unable to communicate verbally via the Smart 911 platform. People do not need a Smart 911 profile to use that service.

       May added that the city was “in the midst of a multi-year project” to transition to Next Generation 911, a system that will allow the use of newer technologies such as text-to-911. That system will hopefully get off the ground in Chicago in 2022, May said in an email.

       What about the rest of Chicagoland?

       Text-to-911 is available in Cook County. “If your carrier has the ability for you as a consumer to text 911, we can handle that,” said Matt Walberg, spokesperson for the Cook County Sheriff’s Department sheriff’s office. If your carrier does not have the ability to do so, and your text hits a Cook County tower, you’ll get a bounce-back text telling you to call instead, Walberg said.

       Walberg said the county encourages people to call in an emergency when possible: It’s quicker in most cases, and dispatchers are trained to listen for things like tone of voice to help best respond to an emergency.

       Text-to-911 is not yet available throughout Lake County, though the county is looking to implement a program within the next several months.

       “We are in the final configuration phase of implementing the service,” said Steven Winnecke, executive director of the Lake County Emergency Telephone Board System.

       Winnecke said the new system will work for cell towers that route to the Lake County sheriff’s office or Lake Zurich 911. If a text routes to a cell tower that does not have text-to-911 capabilities, the texter will receive a bounce-back message telling them to call 911 instead.

       Winnecke echoed Walberg’s advice that people should call 911 if possible, and text only if necessary.

       Will County implemented text-to-911 in 2015, according to the county’s website.

       Text-to-911 is also available in areas served by the Northwest Central Dispatch System, which include Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg and Streamwood. According to executive director John Ferraro, AT&T, T-Mobile/Sprint and Verizon all allow for text-to-911 in the system’s service area.

       People in Aurora can text 911; the suburb first implemented its program in 2016.

       What’s next for text-to-911?

       The Illinois State Police projects that Next Generation 911 — the system the city of Chicago is hoping to transition to in 2022 — will be implemented statewide by the end of 2023, according to Beth Hundsdorfer, chief public information officer for the state police.

       Next Generation 911 is an Internet-based system that will allow texts to 911, according to a state police news release from May. It will also bring reduced response times and better accuracy in terms of routing calls to the correct responding agencies.

       Naperville’s new text-to-911 system is part of the Next Generation 911 system, according to Chuffo, the city’s emergency communications manager.

       tsoglin@chicagotribune.com

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