911 outage in Mason County was actually only 1 affected line

A 911 outage was reported in Mason County Thursday morning, supposedly affecting more than 5,000 people. But a closer took revealed that only one line into the emergency call center was down and dispatchers were actually able to process all calls.

Macecom, the 911 call center for Mason County initially notified the region at 10:48 a.m. that about 5,329 customers in the Hoodsport and Shelton areas were unable to reach 911. Officials said that CenturyLink was working to fix the problem.

An update from the Macecom at 2:48 p.m. states:

Century Link found that it was only one phone number to the office was down and the switch was processing all calls. At this time, it appears all lines are operational.

If Mason County residents call 911 and get a fast busy signal, use the Mason County Sheriff’s department emergency line: 360-426-4441.

The last major 911 outage to strike Washington was in December 2018. That outage also involved CenturyLink. In that instance, 911 service went down on Thursday night, with service returning to some communities Friday afternoon, and others remaining without. By Saturday, 911 service was restored throughout Washington.

The problem in December stemmed from a nationwide CenturyLink internet outage which affected 911 service in Washington and other states. People calling 911 in the region often received a busy signal. Other 911 services in parts of Missouri, Idaho, and Arizona also reported outages. It also temporarily shut down phone services at the Idaho Department of Corrections.

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