Occasionally, there have been outages of 911 service in Washington State. The latest 911 outage that affected Snohomish County occurred in early December 2021. Losing the ability to call 911 when you have an emergency whether it is a crime in progress, a fire, or a medical emergency can have a devasting affect. However, there are alternate phone numbers you can call that will connect you to the 911 call center in an emergency.
In Snohomish County, you can call the non-emergency number, (425) 407-3999 or the Out of County Emergency number (425) 407-3970 if there is a 911 outage. Save these numbers in your smart phone’s contact list for easy reference.
If cellular service is interrupted, call 911 using a landline or the Wi-Fi calling feature on your smartphone if your smartphone has it.
As a last resort, send a text message to 911. While making a voice call is still the best way to communicate with 911, a text message can be used in situations when phone calls are not possible or are dangerous.
Finally, sign up to receive emergency alerts. With emergency alerts, local authorities can send messages to your smartphone or other devices about emergency situations or natural disasters. In case of a 911 outage, they can be used to notify the public of the outage and give instructions on how to contact 911 during the outage. In Snohomish County, sign up for SnoCoAlerts at https://snohomishcountywa.gov/620/Public-Alert-Resources.
Seattle Times:
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/911-outage-affecting-seattle-area/
Verify:
Snohomish County 911:
https://sno911.org/contact-us/
Washington State Emergency Management Division:
https://mil.wa.gov/alternative911
