DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has set up a Text-to-911 system for wireless phones.
Officials say 94 of Iowa’s 113 emergency calls centers can accept text messages from at least one wireless phone carrier. The remaining centers are expected to have that capability by the end of 2017.
The Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management oversees Iowa’s 911 program, working with local public safety agencies and wireless carriers to build a statewide network and make Text-to-911 technology possible.
Six wireless carriers can or soon will provide customers with the ability to text 911. The carriers are: AT&T, iWireless, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon.
More information on the Text-to-911 program is available at homelandsecurity.iowa.gov.
