County

Possible to text 911 in an emergency, but in most cases it’s better to call

RBC | What happens if you have an emergency but you’re hearing impaired, have a speech disability, or the situation could get worse if you make noise? In most areas of Rio Blanco County emergency victims now have the option to text to 911. Certainly a sign of progress, but there are major caveats to the service as it stands now.
Testing has been completed and in most areas of Rio Blanco County, residents and visitors that have Verizon, Union, AT&T or Comcast should be able to send text messages to 911, other providers who do not actually own cell towers in Rio Blanco County are not required by the FCC to provide this service. Callers who place a Text to 911 and do not have a carrier that provides the service or if the service is not available will receive a bounce back message which will refer them to call 911. Only consumers who have purchased a text or data plan through their wireless provider can send text messages and text message rates will apply. The 911 call centers at the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office and Rangely Police Department are ready to accept emergency text messages from the public when a caller may be injured and unable to speak, may be in a remote area or are only able to send a text message to get assistance from emergency services. Only two percent of all 911 dispatch centers across the nation are capable of receiving a text to 911 message. Rio Blanco County is proud to join this 2 percent to open this communication path to our citizens, our visitors and our community.
“Even where text-to-911 is available, if you are able to make a voice call to 911, and if it is safe to do so, you should always make a voice call to 911 instead,” according to the FCC. “Voice calls allow the 911 operator to more quickly ask questions and obtain information from the caller, while two-way communication by text can take more time and is subject to limits on the length of text messages.”
Text-to-911 also changes the immediate information the dispatch center receives. With phone calls the dispatcher immediately has your location and phone number, when calling from a land line. With a text message, that information is not immediately available so texters have to give an address of where they are located as quickly as possible. In addition, phone calls allow for more qualitative information about the caller, including background noises, the tone and urgency in a caller’s voice.
That being said, this service provides major benefits for those who are hard of hearing, have a speech disability or are in an emergency situation in which making noise could exacerbate danger.
Currently photos and videos cannot be texted to 911. Call 970-878-9600 for more information.
To text 911 follow these steps:
n Enter the numbers “911” in the “To” field.
n The first text message to 911 should be brief and contain the location of the emergency and type of help needed.
n Push the send button.
n Be prepared to answer questions and follow instruction from the 911 call taker.
n Text in simple words—do not use abbreviations.
n Keep text messages brief and concise.

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  • It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
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  • It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
  • Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
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