Early Wednesday, parts of Summit County discovered the hard way that 911 was not picking up. A system outage left some Akron-area callers unable to reach emergency dispatch by phone, and officials urged residents to reserve 911 for life-threatening situations only. Non-emergency lines, they warned, could be slow as technicians worked to fix the glitch. Text-to-911 was still working, according to local authorities, and the disruption sparked a flurry of municipal posts pointing residents to backup numbers.
Which neighborhoods were hit
Residents in Northfield Center Township, Twinsburg Township, Coventry Township, the City of Green, Summit Metroparks, Springfield Township and the Village of Lakemore were told to call the county administrative line at 330-643-2181 instead of 911 until further notice, according to News 5 Cleveland. The outlet reported that crews were working to repair the malfunction but did not provide details on what caused it.
Text 911 still available, county dispatch notes
The county’s dispatch agency explains that both calling and texting 911 are supported, and that texting can be a useful backup when a voice call will not go through, according to the Summit Emergency Communications Center. That guidance matches broader municipal messaging that asked residents to stay patient on non-emergency calls while technicians tackled the outage.
What residents should do
If you have a life-threatening emergency, you should keep trying 911 and use whichever option connects, whether that is a call, a text or, if necessary, the county administrative line, News 5 Cleveland reported. The Springfield Township Police Department also urged patience for non-urgent matters and shared a township officer’s direct line, (330) 934-3662, for Springfield business. Officials reminded residents to limit non-emergency calls so dispatchers can focus on true life-or-death situations…