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Franklin County Now Offering 911 Text Option

Franklin County has joined about a dozen others in Ohio by now allowing 911 emergency text messages. 

Commissioner Marilyn Brown chairs the county's 911 planning committee. 

Westerville communications manager Holly Wayt also serves as president of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials. Wayt says the text to 911 service will especially benefit residents who are deaf, experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss, or have a speech impairment. 

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The overriding message from safety officials to residents in emergencies - call if you can, text if you can't. The $2.5 million program is funded by fees paid by device users on their monthly bills. Delaware County is the only other jurisdiction in central Ohio using the text-to-911 service.

Mike Foley joined WCBE in February 2000, coming from WUFT in Gainesville, Florida. Foley has worked in various roles, from producing news and feature stories to engineering Live From Studio A sessions. A series of music features Foley started in 2018 called Music Journeys has grown into a podcast and radio show. He also assists in developing other programs in WCBE's Podcast Experience. Foley hosts The Morning Mix, a weekday music show featuring emerging and established musicians, our Columbus-area and Ohio-based talent, and additional artists that inspire him.
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