HONESDALE, Pa. — Text for help -- it is a brand new option for people in Wayne County.
If you cannot make the phone call, now you can text 911.
"I think it's a good option for people to have. I think you know it could be lifesaving," said Jared Newbon of Honesdale.
Emergency officials say once you type 911 into the contact line, put your location in the message line.
The system is already used in many counties in Pennsylvania.
"That's awesome because everybody texts nowadays and you can do it quietly because heaven forbid you're in an absolute emergency, you can text and no one has to know you're texting," said Laurel Gardner of Honesdale.
"There's a lot of times people will tell you if you're in a domestic violence situation you call and order a pizza but that's always kind of weird. How are you supposed to work that into a conversation, so texting is much safer," said Abigail Newbon of Honesdale.
In addition to texting your location first, state emergency officials said they say use whole words, not abbreviations and do not use emojis. Be brief and to the point.