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Chester County, Pa., Launches Text-to-911

Chester County became the first in the five-county Pennsylvania region to allow residents to text for help when it launched its Text-to-911 system Tuesday.

(TNS) -- Terence Farrell, chairman of the Chester County Board of Commissioners, sent a text message to the county's 911 center that read: "Help! I'm trapped."

He said he was hiding from burglars in his home.

Farrell sent the fake message Tuesday to test a new system that will allow residents in Chester County who are not able to call 911 in an emergency to text for help.

Chester County became the first in the five-county Pennsylvania region to allow residents to text for help when it launched its Text-to-911 system Tuesday.

"I think within the next two years, it will be standard practice throughout the nation," said Robert Kagel, director of Chester County's Department of Emergency Services.

"The Text-to-911 piece is just one of the many components of the 911 system that we'll be rolling out over the next five years."

The upgrade is part of a national initiative called "Next Generation 911," the federal government's push for local governments to upgrade their 911 capabilities to keep up with technology and improve information sharing.

Chester County eventually plans to enable residents to send pictures and video of accident scenes or of crimes in progress.

Montgomery County officials said they plan to start a 911 texting system in May. Bucks County and Philadelphia are working to develop their own systems.

Being able to text could save the lives of domestic-violence victims or people who are hard of hearing, officials say.

"Enabling more people to have easier access to our county emergency services is an important way to ensure public safety," said Josh Shapiro, chairman of the Montgomery County commissioners.

But officials' message is clear: Call if you can, text if you must. Conversations by text message take longer than phone calls. Someone near the border of a county without the text service might get a message bounced back. Emergency operators also cannot easily transfer a text message to other agencies.

Another issue is a lack of precision in pinpointing a texter's location. This is why officials in Bucks and Delaware Counties have not yet made commitments to the system.

©2015 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC