When to Text 911 in Yancey County — A Quick Checklist and What the 911 Center Can Do

In Yancey County, calling 911 is the better choice when you can do it safely. A phone call lets operators gather information faster, and they'll ask where you are. The county also warns that current technology doesn't pinpoint your location automatically, so your voice and clear answers can save precious time.

• ✓ Call 911 if someone is hurt
• ✓ Call 911 if you smell smoke or see a fire

When you reach the Yancey County 911 Center, you're not just getting "an operator." That center dispatches the right responders for your situation: the Yancey County Sheriff's Department, Burnsville Police, Yancey Rescue, Yancey EMS, and all eight volunteer fire departments.

Texting 911 makes sense in Yancey County if you're hiding and a voice call would put you in danger. Maybe someone could hear you or find you based on your conversation. In that situation, a quiet text is the safer way to ask for help.

Texting can also help when your phone can't complete a mobile call. Yancey County notes that texts sometimes go through even when calls won't.

What to Include

• ✓ Where you are: your address, or the nearest landmark
• ✓ What you need: fire, medical, or law enforcement

Start with your location. The 911 operator needs it to send help. Yancey County advises calling instead of texting when possible because operators can gather details faster by phone, and current technology doesn't pinpoint your location automatically. If you have to text, make your first message count by leading with exactly where you are.

The Yancey County 911 Emergency Communications Center is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Someone is always there to receive emergency calls and route them to the right response agencies.

Don't prank call 911 or "test" it. Yancey County says their system can pinpoint your location. If you hang up, operators will call you back. If you don't answer, they're required to send a law enforcement officer to check on your well-being.