NO 911 Services in Pennsylvania: What Happened, What It Means, and What to Do Next

On Friday, July 11, 2025, thousands of Pennsylvanians were thrown into a state of confusion and concern as 911 emergency services went down across the state. From major cities to rural counties, the people who dialed 911 found themselves met with busy signals, dropped calls, or no connection at all.

It was a terrifying moment, especially for those in need of immediate help.

Now that the system is back up, let’s talk about what really happened, what officials are saying, and how to stay prepared if this ever happens again.

The 911 System Failure: A Statewide Crisis

The outage began around 2 PM on Friday, initially reported in Delaware County, then quickly spread to surrounding areas and ultimately affected much of the state. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) confirmed that the issue was tied to the Next-Generation 911 (NG911) network, a high-tech system that routes emergency calls through internet-based infrastructure.

Here’s what’s important:

• It was NOT a cyberattack.

• It was NOT caused by human error at a dispatch center.

• The disruption came from the core technology system used to route and manage emergency calls statewide.

In simple terms? The tech broke down—big time.

Calls That Didn’t Go Through

People across Pennsylvania reported:

• Not being able to reach 911 at all

• Calls dropping mid-emergency

• No location data showing up for dispatchers

• Delayed or no response in life-threatening situations

This failure left many vulnerable residents scared and helpless. Elderly individuals, people with chronic illnesses, domestic violence survivors, and anyone needing police, fire, or medical assistance had no reliable way to get help.

For some, this was more than a technical glitch. It was life-threatening.

What Officials Are Saying

Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration confirmed the issue was fully resolved by midnight, with normal operations resuming by early Saturday morning. The 911 vendor responsible for NG911 service worked with state authorities to identify and correct the issue—but as of now, an official root cause has not been released.

Investigations are ongoing, and state leaders are demanding answers—and accountability.

What NOT to Do

After the outage was resolved, several officials warned residents:Do not call 911 to “test” if it’s working again.

These unnecessary calls put real emergencies at risk. If you're curious, trust the updates from PEMA and your local government.

What You Should Do

While the system is stable again, this outage exposed just how fragile emergency infrastructure can be in a digital age.

Here’s what you should do right now:

1. Save your local 10-digit emergency number

If 911 fails again, you’ll need to call your local dispatch center directly. Here are a few examples:

County	Non-Emergency Line
Allegheny	(412) 473-3056
Beaver	(724) 775-0880
Butler	(724) 282-1221
Delaware	(610) 565-6500
Cambria	(814) 472-2100

You can find your county’s number here or visit your local emergency services website.

2. Sign up for alerts from PEMA

Follow the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency on X or Facebook to get real-time updates in the event of another failure.

3. Create a household safety plan

Include emergency contacts, local non-emergency numbers, and steps to follow if emergency services go down.

We live in a digital age, where even life-or-death systems like 911 rely on technology that can—and sometimes does—fail. While this outage thankfully ended without major public tragedy, it was a stark wake-up call. We cannot afford to be unprepared.

I urge every Pennsylvania household—especially Black and Brown communities who are often underserved in crisis situations—to take proactive steps.

Know your backup numbers. Stay informed. And never take access to emergency services for granted. Because when seconds matter, preparation can save lives.