911 restored after hour-long crash across Massachusetts

The 911 emergency response system is back up and running following an hour-plus of downtime across all of Massachusetts Tuesday. The system, used by thousands to report all manner of situation from suspected crimes to medical emergencies, was restored sometime after 3:30 p.m., according to several local police and fire departments and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Services.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu shared news of the outage during a press conference outlining the city's plans for a Celtics parade, scheduled for Friday.

"If you are experiencing an emergency, if you find your way to police, fire or EMS, we will make sure that you get to the right place," Wu said. "So, don't worry about needing to have the exact right number or anything as this is getting resolved very quickly."

Residents across the state received an emergency message via mobile phone announcing the outage just after 2:30 p.m.

The loss of 911, a critical connection for residents, came as Massachusetts enters its first potential heat wave of the summer. The mid-afternoon temperature at Logan Airport was 86 degrees, with the dew point — a measure of humidity in the air — at a swampy 70 degrees.

The Boston Fire Department released a post on X.com, formerly Twitter, advised people to call them directly or to use one of the city's street-level fire boxes in case of an emergency. The pre-mobile-phone technology is still available and active in Boston; simply find a box and pull the level to call for help.

Police and fire departments across the state shared similar messages online if anyone needs help.

In April, 911 systems were down briefly in several Massachusetts communities. The issue was related to a networking problem at a data center, according to MassLive.

Millions of people in other states were affected by a similar 911 outage in April. Residents in Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota and Texas lost access to the literal lifeline when a third-party company reportedly severed a communications line while repairing some outdoor street lights, according to NBC News.