Dublin residents who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disorders now have another way to reach emergency dispatchers: texting 911.
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday, Aug. 12, that text-to-911 is available as a safe, reliable emergency contact option for all Franklin County residents, including those in Dublin. Sheriff Dallas Baldwin's office posted the announcement on its official X account.
The service is aimed at people for whom a voice call to 911 isn't possible. The sheriff's office emphasized one rule: always call 911 if you can, and text only when you can't.
The office did not provide step-by-step instructions for initiating a text or specify which wireless carriers support the service.
How Dublin's 911 system works
Dublin Police and Washington Township Fire/EMS dispatch through the Northwest Regional Emergency Communications Center, known as NRECC. Washington Township authorized a dispatching agreement with the City of Dublin through NRECC running through Dec. 31, 2028, according to township meeting minutes from November 2025.
How text-to-911 messages from Dublin addresses route through the system is unclear. The Franklin County 911 Planning Committee oversees countywide 911 operations, and NRECC handles local dispatch for Dublin Police and Washington Township Fire/EMS. Whether texts go directly to the county or through NRECC could affect response coordination.
When to text
The guidance is simple. A voice call remains the fastest, most reliable way to reach a dispatcher. Texting should be reserved for situations where speaking aloud would put someone in danger or where a caller physically cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech condition.
The announcement did not clarify whether text-to-911 supports photos, video or location sharing, details that could matter in an emergency where a caller cannot describe their surroundings verbally.
For non-emergency matters, Dublin residents can reach Dublin Police at 614-889-1112 or the Franklin County Sheriff's Office at 614-525-3333.
