By FireRescue1 Staff
NEW YORK — New Yorkers will soon be able to text 911 when in need of paramedics, firefighters or police by early 2018.
PIX11 reported that the service has been around since 2009, but New York City’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications recently requested assistance in building support for the infrastructure.
“Our number one priority is keeping New Yorkers safe, and developing the strongest, most state-of-the-art 911 system is essential to that mission,” First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris said. “In the 21st century, that means ensuring that New Yorkers who need to communicate with 911 can do more than make a phone call — we want to give them the ability to send photos, stream video and more.”
Officials said that dialing 911 is still the best way to ask for help, because emergency services are able to automatically locate you.