State lawmakers are taking steps toward allowing residents to text 9-1-1, and local officials said — at least in theory — the idea is a good one.

“If someone is in the position where they cannot speak, obviously it would be a very big advantage,” Blount County 9-1-1 Director Jeff Caylor said. “We'll have to wait and see how it shakes out and how it works.”

Rep. Pat Marsh, R-Shelbyville, is sponsoring a House joint resolution in the Tennessee General Assembly that highlights the need for the state's 9-1-1 system to receive a digital upgrade, which would include a text message option.

“People have asked me why they can't text 9-1-1,” Marsh said, in a prepared statement. “Now, I can tell them we just don't have the technology yet. But I can also tell them that Tennessee is poised to be a national leader in digital 9-1-1.”

Beginning in late 2010 or early in 2011, state officials are slated to deploy a new project, called Next Generation 9-1-1, which will digitalize Tennessee's 9-1-1 system, Executive Director of the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board Lynn Questell said, in a prepared statement.

“What we have now is a system that is challenged,” she said. “But we've prepared for that. We're on the verge of a statewide project to digitalize our 9-1-1 system. This will mean more efficient, more intelligent emergency response.”

The conversion process will be similar to the recent conversion of televisions from analog to digital, officials said