Herrin (WSIL) -- This Sunday, you'll have to use 10-digit dialing for phone calls in Southern Illinois.
Herrin residents are uniquely affected.
The City of Herrin has two prefixes for phone numbers, 942 and 988.
But 988 will soon have a new meaning by next July.
That number, 988, will soon be the abbreviated number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
To make room for this number, all numbers in the 618 area code must use the 10 digit dial in order to complete a call.
While this might take some getting used to, emergency responders in Herrin say this will benefit the community.
"Suicide is a huge issue in the country. So this new number of 9-8-8 and the easy number of people to remember is a good thing. So, again, being able to call your favorite business or call the fire department non emergency line, or whoever who you have to be calling, just by adding that 6-1-8 in front of it, it should be business as usual from here on out," said Herrin Fire Chief Shawn Priddy.Â
While the 988 prefix is for Herrin phone numbers, all numbers in southern Illinois are required to make the switch to 10 digit dialing.
