A 911 outage is impacting the entire state of Massachusetts Tuesday afternoon, according to Boston police.
“The statewide 911 system is down — calls are not going through,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said at a news conference. “We’ve been in touch with the state and all the relevant officials to work on getting this resolved.”
The cause was not immediately clear. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety said it’s investigating.
“If you need police services, call your local district station directly,” Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said. “For medical or fire-related emergencies, you can use the red light call boxes located on street corners.”
Boston fire officials said the fire department can also be reached as 617-343-2880.
Cox said any emergency reported to one service will be seamlessly relayed to the appropriate department.
“We have a robust system in place,” Cox said. “Our agencies are well-coordinated and ready to support each other.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
On September 28, 2021, residents of Massachusetts experienced a statewide 911 outage that left many people unable to reach emergency services in times of need. The outage, which lasted for several hours, was caused by a technical issue with the system that processes 911 calls.
During the outage, residents were urged to call their local police or fire departments directly if they needed emergency assistance. However, many people were left frustrated and worried about what would happen if they were unable to reach help in a crisis.
The outage highlighted the importance of having reliable and redundant systems in place to ensure that emergency services can always be reached. In this case, the outage was quickly resolved and service was restored, but it served as a wake-up call for officials to address any vulnerabilities in the system.
In response to the outage, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) issued a statement urging residents to have alternative methods of contacting emergency services, such as saving the direct numbers for their local police and fire departments in their phones.
The outage also raised questions about the overall reliability of the 911 system and whether more needs to be done to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. It is essential that emergency services are always available and accessible to those in need, and this outage serves as a reminder of the importance of ensuring that the system is reliable and secure.
Overall, the statewide 911 outage in Massachusetts was a concerning event that highlighted the need for constant vigilance and preparedness when it comes to emergency services. It is crucial that officials take steps to address any vulnerabilities in the system and ensure that residents can always reach help when they need it most.
