BOSTON (WHDH) - Massachusetts’ 911 system was restored Tuesday afternoon after a statewide outage impacted services across the state.
Local police and fire departments first shared messages about the outage in posts on social media and in statements early Tuesday afternoon. With 911 systems down, departments urged people in need of emergency aid to contact them directly through administrative phone lines.
In an update near 3:45 p.m., the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security confirmed the system was once again operational.
“The public may now resume calling 911 for emergencies,” officials said.
Officials thanked members of the public for their patience and cooperation and said the State 911 Department would continue to investigate the cause of the disruption.
Earlier Tuesday afternoon, Boston officials shared their own messages about the outage and shared advice for people looking to get in contact with emergency crews.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said officials were in touch with state officials and other relevant officials regarding the outage.
“This could be very temporary and we’re waiting to hear a little later about how long it will last,” said Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox. “But we thought it was important, particularly with the heat that we’re about to experience to make sure that we give people the opportunity to know what’s going on in regards to the 911 system.”
Boston EMS Chief of Emergency Medical Services James Hooley said other internal systems that allow city emergency departments to communicate with each other were working despite the 911 outage.
Officials in Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and New York said the issue in Massachusetts was not impacting their states.
Tuesday’s 911 outage came as temperatures ramped up across the region. High temperatures were expected to reach 93 degrees in some spots. After Tuesday, the hot weather is then expected to linger through the rest of the week, reaching as high as 97 degrees by Thursday, according to forecasts. While temperatures soar, heat index values could push upward of 100 degrees.
Experts and public officials have repeatedly urged people to stay safe in the heat by staying hydrated and minimizing time spent in the sun.
Several school districts across the state have announced early dismissals due to the heat and Wu announced a heat emergency for the city of Boston.
Many communities have opened cooling centers for individuals in need of public, air conditioned space to cool down.
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