Denco 9-1-1 supplies Denton County residents with emergency help, but its mission goes beyond connecting calls. Programs like Text-to-911 and PulsePoint AED aim to save lives before first responders arrive.
The Denco 9-1-1 agency coordinates emergency services for most of Denton County, excluding Frisco and Carrollton. Since 1987, it has improved technology, protocols and training to enhance response times and outcomes.
Justin Grass is the Community Engagement Specialist for Denco 9-1-1. One initiative that he has been working hard to inform people about is the Text-to-911 service.
“A lot of people don’t know that you can text 911,” Grass said. “It is a potentially life-saving feature.”
According to Grass, calling 911 is the preferred method of reaching emergency services because it is faster. But in situations where a person is unable to talk, can't hear or needs to stay quiet to ensure their safety, Text-to-911 is a great way to reach help.
“There’s a lot of situations where it comes in handy for people who can’t talk, and there's also the disability aspect of it,” Grass said. “We want everyone to be able to access 911 in the best way possible.”
Texting 911 utilizes the same process as texting any other person. Just type in the number and let them know your situation and location. The text dispatcher will respond with aid, prompt questions and send help.
Another initiative that the district’s agency has been working on is the implementation of Pulse Point AED, an automated external defibrillator registry tool.
When a 911 call reports a potential cardiac emergency, dispatchers can use the registry to locate the nearest AED and guide bystanders on how to use it, potentially saving crucial minutes before paramedics arrive.
“AEDs save lives, and this is a way that we can work that life-saving capability into the 911 system,” Grass said.
The program launched with the agency in early 2023 and has since registered 649 devices in the Denco District. However, only one AED is currently listed in the system in Pilot Point, leaving much of the service area—including Aubrey, Krugerville and Cross Roads—without an entry to direct help in an emergency.
If you know where to find an AED near you, register it through the Denco 9-1-1 website at https:// www.denco.org/aed or download the free Pulse Point AED app. The process is quick, easy and completely free.
“I would implore any residents that know where to find an AED in Pilot Point or any of these nearby areas to register it with us,” Grass said. “They can absolutely save a life by registering these AEDs.”
The Denco 9-1-1 website also provides emergency preparedness resources, including tips, calling guides and educational materials to help people plan ahead.
“In general, make sure you are thinking about what you would do in an emergency,” Grass said. “Don’t let the time that you need to call 911 be the first time you think about what to do in an emergency. Have a plan for what to do, and that will help you get the best result when you do need to call 911.”
To maintain high standards, the agency offers up to 1,000 hours of telecommunicator training each year, ensuring dispatchers are wellequipped to handle emergencies.
“We put a lot of effort and resources into making this as easy as possible for the callers and as easy as possible for the dispatchers so we can get quick, efficient 911 calls,” Grass said.
Denton County dispatcher Bonnie Putnam, who recently received a Life Saving Award for her efforts in a critical situation, shared her experience with Denco 9-1-1 services.
“They are phenomenal with giving us everything and being ahead of the schedule than most,” Putnam said.
“All of our training we go to their facility at doesn't cost our district employers a dime,” Putnam said. “They provide our telephone. They provide our mapping. They are on the forefront.”
One area that has significantly improved is location services, which dispatchers rely on to direct emergency services to the scene of an incident.
“I've been here for 21 and a half years,” Putnam said. “When I got here, we had phase one wireless calls, which seems like a dinosaur by comparison to what we have now. When they got phase two technology, it would plot you right down to the street, to the corner, to the house. Now with rapid SOS, they have got us where, when you call 911, I can watch you walk.”
Denco 9-1-1 operates quietly in the background, ensuring that when emergencies happen, help is only a call—or a text—away. While most people don’t think about the system until they need it, its impact is felt in every situation.
“For the public, I don’t think we get a whole lot of feedback on our operations here, just because people don’t really know that it exists,” Grass said. “But that’s OK, because our goal is to make sure 911 works when they call it and they have the best technology available, which they do.”
From Text-to-911 to the Pulse-Point AED registry, small actions from the community— registering an AED, knowing when to text instead of call—can make a life-ordeath difference.
“Public safety is a group effort,” Grass said. “If a resident participates in that, they can absolutely save a life.”
