Pennsylvania suffers statewide 911 outage due to IT issue

In Pennsylvania, the emergency 911 system experienced significant issues starting in the afternoon on a Friday, when calls began failing to connect intermittently. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) alerted the public about these outages, emphasizing that they were primarily an IT problem with a third-party vendor. The situation was exacerbated by the initial reports of connectivity issues that began around 2 p.m., leading to a statewide emergency alert being issued soon after around 3:30 p.m. This alert advised individuals facing difficulties reaching 911 to use non-emergency lines instead. During this outage, the 911 dispatch centers reported experiencing unusual quietness, as numerous calls were not coming through at expected volumes. In Delaware County, dispatch personnel faced chaotic moments when call volumes unexpectedly surged in situations where silence should have prevailed. Dispatchers noted their concern over the weakened confidence in the emergency response system, and they immediately began contacting those who had attempted to call 911 to ascertain their needs. Some callers were able to receive follow-up texts confirming the receipt of their calls, revealing that although the system was not registering the calls, the information was still captured through alternative means. PEMA's director, Randy Padfield, stated during a press briefing that while most calls were still able to get through, there were intermittent challenges with calls lacking essential location data or being dropped altogether. The nature of the outages raised speculation about whether they were caused by technical matters, though Padfield confirmed they do not believe it to be a result of a cyberattack or a software update. Emergency management teams worked diligently with technical experts to rectify the problems and restore full service as quickly as possible. Governor Josh Shapiro assured the public that the state was actively addressing the outages and urged residents to remain calm. As counties throughout Pennsylvania called their residents to inform them about the situation, confidence in the emergency services system has been shaken, prompting discussions on improving resilience against similar future occurrences. Despite that, emergency services remained committed to handling calls for urgent help and continuously updated the public on developments regarding the situation.