Dispatchers use their own cellphones during 911 outage
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) — Officials in Connecticut say emergency dispatchers used their personal cellphones to return 911 calls after the statewide emergency telecommunications system went down.
State police say there were no reports of delayed responses stemming from the blackouts. Spokeswoman Kelly Grant says AT&T has resolved the issue but it's unclear what caused the outage.
Middletown Mayor Daniel Drew says 911 service was interrupted twice on Friday night. New Haven, Guilford and Wethersfield were among several other cities and towns affected.
Grant says 911 communication in all 12 state police barracks were also out.
Drew says dispatchers picked up the phone but couldn't talk to callers, so they used their own phones. He says the city probably missed about five calls during the outages.