CHENANGO COUNTY – After more than a year of promoting its text-to-911 service, the Chenango County 911 dispatch center continues to invest in new technology and promote ways to make getting help to area citizens more efficient.

According to Chenango County 911 Dispatch Center Chief Dispatcher A. Wesley Jones, the center is celebrating over a year of success with its text-to-911 system, which as the name suggests, allows individuals with emergencies to text authorities instead of calling for assistance.

“911 is changing significantly, and we’re always looking for ways to better locate and serve people,” said Jones. “Our goal is to get services to people as quickly and as efficiently as possible.”

He said for a variety of people, including those who struggle with a hearing or speech impairment, calling into the dispatch center isn’t an option.

“Our text-to-911 system is one of the ways we’ve been trying to provide options to people in emergencies who may not be able to use the regular call in system,” said Jones. “Someone who has some type of disability like a hearing or speech impairment might use a TTD machine, which comes with severe limitations in an emergency.”