(IntegrityPress.org) – Emergency 911 systems around the state of Massachusetts crashed unexpectedly for hours on Tuesday, June 18. Some residents of the state were unable to make 911 calls for a large part of the day after unspecified technical glitches took it down. The system eventually came back up around 3:43 p.m., but authorities weren’t clear on what caused the problem or even when it began, reports about the disruption started shortly after 1 p.m. however.
Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox highlighted that it was important residents have alternative means of getting help, should they need it. He suggested calling local police for emergency assistance while the system was inoperable.
Citizens can also acquire and store numbers for the local fire department or ambulance company and retain them in their contacts list on their cell phones. In an emergency, time is often critical and seconds matter individuals prepared for the possibility have better chances of getting critical aid in time.
Director of Communications and Policy Elaine Driscoll at the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Security said they weren’t sure if the outage impacted every town and city within the state.
The state is currently experiencing a heat wave like the rest of the country, making elderly residents or those without access to air conditioning especially susceptible to heat stroke.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu suggested folks contact any local authority and they can facilitate the correct response by police, fire or emergency medical dispatchers.
Massachusetts General Hospital representatives said they didn’t even notice the problem. A spokesman for the broader Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association said they weren’t aware of any problem, indicating it may not have been state-wide.
Some residents of other northeastern states got notifications on their phone which indicated a disruption in their area when there wasn’t, compounding the problem. Barbara Neal with the Vermont Enhanced 911 Board said that some individuals were getting notifications even when they weren’t in the affected area.
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