The McKinney Police Department was spreading the word on social media during April and May about its Text to 911 program. The program, provided by the North Central Texas Council of Governments, is available to Collin County residents, excluding those in the cities of Plano, Richardson and Wylie.

The Text to 911 service allows users to send a text message directly to 911 for assistance.

To send a text message, add 911 in the recipient field, compose the message, including location and nature of the emergency, then press send. This can be done on any active phone with texting capabilities and service provided by Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Sprint or AT&T.

This service should only be used when someone is unable to make a voice call. These instances include if the user is in a situation where one’s safety would be compromised if they spoke out loud, if the user is in a mass incident and all voice lines are tied up, or if the user lives in a deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired community, according to NCTCOG.