According to authorities, progress is being made on the 911 service outage across the country, and it’s being reported emergency calls are again getting through.
“However, residents are urged not to ‘test’ the system,” said a King County press release announcing the update. “There may still be intermittent issues, so if a 9-1-1 call does not go through, call one of the ten-digit numbers below or use a cell phone to Text-to-911.”
The issue stems from a CenturyLink malfunction that has affected the ability of 911 call centers to receive calls from both landlines and cell phones. The outage was first reported Thursday, Dec. 27.
“We are aware of some 911 service disruptions affecting various areas through the United States,” the company wrote on their Twitter account the morning of Dec. 28. “In case of an emergency, customers should use their wireless phones to call 911 or drive to the nearest fire station or emergency facility. Technicians are working to restore services.”
As of that Friday, the worst outages were reported across western Washington, as well as Portland, Oregon; Phoenix, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Boise, Idaho; and Salt Lake City, Utah, according to a CenturyLink outage map. A smattering of other, lighter outages dot the country.
If you need to contact emergency services, please use these alternate phone numbers:
KING COUNTY:
• King County Sheriff/Unincorporated King County: 206-296-3311
• Enumclaw: 360-825-3505
• South King County (Black Diamond, Auburn, Kent, Renton, Federal Way, etc.): 253-852-2121
• You can also text 911 for services as well
PIERCE COUNTY:
• Police services: 253-798-4721
• Fire or EMS: 253-588-5217
WASHINGTON STATE PATROL
• 425-401-7788 (King County)
• 253-538-3240, option 4 (Pierce County)
