Massachusetts experienced a 911 outage lasting approximately two hours due to a safety feature designed to prevent cyberattacks. The outage occurred from 1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., rendering the emergency services inaccessible via the 911 number. The State 911 Department confirmed that the outage was caused by this security measure, although the specific reason is still being investigated.
Despite some calls not going through during the outage, the system was able to identify callers' phone numbers, allowing dispatch centers to return those calls. Fortunately, no emergencies were reported to have been adversely affected by the disruption.
The Executive Director of the State 911 Department emphasized the commitment to providing reliable emergency services to all residents and visitors. Steps will be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
During the outage, Boston authorities advised residents to seek alternative ways of obtaining help, such as contacting local police departments or using local call boxes for medical or fire-related issues. Tufts Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital reported no operational disruptions, with internal emergency numbers remaining functional.
While the Massachusetts incident caused confusion in neighboring states, including notifications on residents' phones, systems in Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, and Vermont remained operational. Vermont officials attributed the notifications to individuals potentially being near the Massachusetts border or signed up for alerting systems in Massachusetts.
Notably, this outage is not the first experienced by Massachusetts, with previous incidents linked to external factors such as outages from service providers or accidental fiber line cuts. The State remains vigilant in ensuring the reliability of its emergency services.
