Boone County to temporarily pause 911 texting during system upgrade

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Residents in Boone County will temporarily lose access to the Text-to-911 service as the county transitions to a new emergency communication system.

Starting Aug. 5, Boone County Joint Communications will pause its Text-to-911 function while it works to transition to the next generation of the 911 system. Officials said the goal is to keep the outage as short as possible and restore the service by Sept. 1.

According to the press release the new network “will provide a more reliable and resilient 911 network while supporting future Next Generation 911 capabilities.”

For some people, texting 911 can be the safest or even the only way to reach emergency services. Christie Davis spokeswoman said the service is often used when making a voice call is not possible or safe, including situations involving people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability.

Davies said the agency only has two years of available Text-to-911 data.

Since Aug. 1, 2024, Joint Communications has processed 563 Text-to-911 sessions. Because the agency’s records only go back two years, officials said they do not know how many Text-to-911 messages were received before that timeframe.

Davies said residents can use Text-to-911 for any emergency they would normally call 911 about. However, she says the service is especially important for people who need an alternative way to communicate with emergency responders.

The agency said it is working with vendors and service providers to minimize the outage while the system transition is completed.

Voice calls will not be affected, and anyone who texts 911 during that period will receive an automatic response telling them to call instead.

The release says the new network “will provide a more reliable and resilient 911 network while supporting future Next Generation 911 capabilities.”