Starting Friday, anyone with an emergency in Long Beach and most other nearby cities can text 911 for help, authorities announced this week.

On Dec. 1, Long Beach police, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Downey police, Signal Hill police and the vast majority of other nearby jurisdictions will launch their text-to-911 services, said Reginald Harrison, Long Beach’s director of disaster preparedness and emergency communications.

Most of Los Angeles County is included in the program, according to Harrison.

Texting allows people who are deaf or hearing impaired to contact first-responders directly, city officials said. It is also especially useful for people in dangerous situations where someone might have to remain quiet, authorities said.

“It is important that all residents are able to contact police, fire and emergency medical services when needed,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. “Texting is widely used to communicate so it only makes sense that we allow residents to use this technology, Text to 911, for emergency services as well.”

But Harrison emphasized that calling 911 is still the best way to get help.

“Call if you can — text if you can’t,” is the slogan being adopted by Long Beach and other agencies implementing the program.

For texting 911 to work, the cell phone sending the message must have locations services enabled, according to Long Beach. Harrison said that helps pinpoint which jurisdiction needs to receive the message.

Local law enforcement agencies have been testing the texting program since August, according to Harrison. Until then, anyone who tried to text 911 would get a message bounced back saying they need to call.

After a few months of experimenting, Harrison said local law enforcement agencies are satisfied with how the system functions and are ready to roll out the program in coordination on Friday.

“What we need to do now is to educate the public on how to use it,” he said.

Texters should be clear and concise in their messages and always include a location where the emergency is happening, according to Harrison.

“The location is very, very important,” he said. “Unlike a telephone call, we don’t get a location.”

Right now, text messages must be in English, although support for other languages may be added later. Also, officials cautioned, the system can’t yet receive photos or videos.

Long Beach also offered a few more tips for texting 911:

The first text message should contain the location and brief description of the emergency and the type of help needed.

Be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from the 911 text taker.

Text in simple words. Do not use abbreviations, emojis or slang.

Keep text messages brief and concise.

Do not text and drive.

A complete list of law enforcement agencies participating in the program wasn’t immediately available.