Massachusetts 911 System Outage Sparks Emergency Response Measures

The 911 system in Massachusetts experienced a significant outage on Tuesday afternoon, disabling emergency services access. State and local authorities are investigating the cause while advising residents to reach out to local police departments or use emergency call boxes for immediate assistance. Efforts are underway to resolve the issue.

The 911 system across Massachusetts went down Tuesday afternoon, incapacitating emergency services access throughout the state.

The State 911 Department is actively investigating the disruption, according to a statement from the state's Office of Public Safety and Security. Many communities reported the outage, but the root cause remains unclear.

Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox advised residents to contact local police departments if they needed help.

"In addition, if you're experiencing any medical, fire, or EMS-related issues, you can use the local call boxes—red light boxes installed at street corners by fire departments—to request assistance," he said.

Cox suggested the disruption "could be very temporary," noting the importance of alerting the public, especially with impending heat conditions.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reassured residents, emphasizing that they should not hesitate to reach out to the closest authorities.

"If you find yourself in an emergency, any police, fire, or EMS department will ensure you get the necessary help," she said, adding that authorities were working diligently to resolve the issue.

Several years ago, Massachusetts experienced similar sporadic outages, which were attributed to issues with Louisiana-based CenturyLink affecting some Verizon customers.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)