RICHMOND, Va. — If you are deaf or hard-of-hearing or it’s not safe for you to speak, you can now send a text to 911 in the Richmond area.

Beginning on June 4, residents in the City of Richmond and Chesterfield and Henrico Counties will be able to send a text message for emergency assistance.

“We encourage residents to call 911 when they can and to text when they can’t,” said Stephen Willoughby, director and chief of Richmond’s Department of Emergency Communications.

Willoughby says residents should follow these guidelines:

Do:

Call if you can, text if you can’t.

Send a text message to 911 if you are deaf or hard-of-hearing, can’t speak, or it is not safe for you to speak.

Provide the exact location of the emergency in the text message.

If you do not receive a reply by text or if you receive a reply that texting is not available, call 911.

Do Not:

Do not text and drive.

Do not send photos or videos to 911 at this time.

Do not copy others on the message to 911. Text-to-911 cannot include more than one person.

Text-to-911 was implemented in the Richmond Capital Region as the result of a grant awarded by the Virginia Information Technologies Agency in the 2017 fiscal year.

The service is already available in Colonial Heights and Hanover County.

For more information about Text-to-911 in the Richmond area, click here.